After the Chicago Bears took a tight end with their 1st round pick in the draft, most people felt they knew how the left tackle situation would shake out. Braxton Jones was still the favorite to start despite still recovering from a broken tibia. Former 3rd round pick Kiran Amegadjie would be his primary competition. He’d get the majority of snaps while Jones recovered. However, things took an unexpected twist when the Bears grabbed Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo in the 2nd round.
Initially, people were skeptical. Trapilo was the eighth offensive tackle taken in the draft. He’d spent most of his college career on the right side. Nobody saw him as a likely threat for the left tackle job, at least not this year. However, things took a significant turn this month. Trapilo has worked exclusively on the left side since practices began. Things got even more interesting when he played all his snaps with the #1 offense this week. Head coach Ben Johnson said that was intentional. Trapilo is 100% in the mix to start.
Ozzy Trapilo has no reason to fear Jones.
After all, the Bears’ veteran left tackle got the job the same way. Nobody saw him as anything more than depth when they drafted him in the 5th round three years ago. Then, by the start of minicamps, it was evident the coaching staff liked him a lot. By the end of August, he was the starter. If Jones could do it, there’s no reason to think Ozzy Trapilo can’t. He’s big, strong, and athletic for his size. He’s proven against much better competition than Jones was. Top experts felt he was the most pro-ready prospect in the class. The only uncertainty was whether he could manage the shift to left tackle. If the Bears are giving him extended work with the top offense this early, it is a great sign.
If he starts on just worried about him lining up vs speed Rushers because we don’t have any to go up against in practice. They should put a WR up against him to work on the speed aspect and taking that drop step in pass pro quick enough.
Finally! A coach that will truly make all positions a competition not a foregone conclusion. Nothing sends a message like “your job is not secure. And must be earned not given.”
And DC Allen is challenging his defensive players to take on roles and responsibilities most of them have never had to do before with the intent of learning how to confuse offenses. Baffled offenses make more mistakes. I like the idea.
This offseason is already unlike any I’ve seen since Ditka was hired.
Ozzy’s success or failure will determine if my overall C+ for the Bears draft will move up or down.
That dude looks like a mixture of goofy and Winnie the Pooh trapped in an Incredible Hulk body!