Several roster battles remain to be determined for the Chicago Bears as they push through their second week of training camp. Preparations have begun for the preseason opener against Cleveland. Head coach Ben Johnson, though, seems intent on getting some answers sooner. To that end, he has devised a full-contact scrimmage for Tuesday afternoon. The offense and defense had game plans the night before. Coaches must call the “game” as they go. Johnson made it clear to his players that this practice means a lot. Major roster decisions will stem from how guys perform.
Perhaps no position has more on the line than left tackle. Johnson made it clear multiple times during his latest presser that he and his assistants plan to have a serious discussion about choosing a starter following this scrimmage. He makes it sound like whoever stands out will get the nod to start in the preseason opener, giving themselves a massive opportunity to snatch the job. Based on the latest info, Braxton Jones was the favorite before suffering another injury. Free agent Jedrick Wills was his biggest challenger, and Johnson has been happy with Wills’ progress.
Ben Johnson needs to see who can hang in pass protection.
“You said last week that you hope maybe this week you’d have a little more clarity of tackle. >> That’ll be a big discussion point tomorrow…Jed was a guy that (was) supremely talented coming out of Alabama. Started off really well in Cleveland, and then obviously the injuries slowed him down. But to me, it’s the case of a player who is still gaining his confidence and strength levels back up. I think he’s starting to understand, ‘Man, I still can play at a really, really high level.’
I keep going back. How well can he pass protect one-on-one? Well, he’s got the traits. Long arms, he’s able to mirror pass rushers. And so, it’s all there. It’s just a matter of consistency right now. And familiarity with what we’re doing. He’s a little bit behind the other guys just because he hasn’t been in the system for a year. So, we’re trying to play that all out. I think he’s doing a pretty good job. And like I said, we’ll have some in-depth conversations tomorrow.”
*Note: this next section was written after the practice ended
Update: Well, he probably didn’t like that outcome.
Jones didn’t practice as he continues nursing his injury. That left Wills and Kiran Amegadjie as the two primary left tackles during the live periods. By all those in attendance, it was an up-and-down performance. Wills had some good showings in the run game, creating a touchdown at the goal line. Unfortunately, that was undercut by two false starts and some hiccups in pass protection. Amegadjie didn’t do anything to distinguish himself. He was on the field during the final period when the offense failed to convert on 4th and 3, and Caleb Williams was forced to throw it away.
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The big winner from this outcome was pretty much Jones by default. Wills got handed a golden opportunity to seize the job with minimal obstruction, and couldn’t close the deal. Jones had been getting most of the first-team reps through the first week of camp before his injury. Ben Johnson is unlikely to declare a winner with an inconclusive practice like that. This either means Jones will be handed the job when he gets back, or the coaches will decide to push the competition into the preseason.
Johnson has already done that once before.
The Bears had a competition last year as well. It also didn’t get the kind of early results the head coach hoped for. So he kept it going for weeks, right up to the start of the regular season. Jones ended up getting the nod, but he struggled through the first month. That led to Theo Benedet replacing him, but he struggled too. Given no other choice, rookie Ozzy Trapilo was inserted. Thankfully, he started playing really well down the stretch. Then everything went sideways in the wild card playoff when he tore his patellar tendon.
Johnson must be feeling a frustrating sense of deja vu. Left tackle has given him headaches since the moment he arrived last year. Jones isn’t healthy. None of his primary competitors are consistent enough to meet the team’s standard. The only good news is that Trapilo might be back earlier than expected. GM Ryan Poles stated it’s possible he might return by the end of training camp. If so, the Bears may not have to endure this game of musical chairs for too long.
