One thing you can always count on with Ben Johnson is that he’ll tell the truth. It doesn’t matter whether you want to hear it or not. The truth is the truth. The Chicago Bears head coach had plenty of positive things to say during his latest press conference on Tuesday. He felt center Logan Jones had a really strong performance in Cincinnati despite the offense only scoring 9 points. The same was true of defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg. It was also revealed that 5th round pick Keyshaun Elliott will finally be returning from injury soon.
However, the mood darkened when the topic of left tackle came up. Around this time last year, Johnson admitted that the team hadn’t decided on a starter because nobody stood out enough to claim the job. One year later, he delivered a similar message.
“There’s still an ongoing spot. It’s a hot spot for us. I don’t think we are 100 percent certain who will start against Carolina. This week will be big.”
It’s no surprise the Bears are here again. Their lineup hasn’t changed much. Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, and Kiran Amegadjie are all holdovers from last season. Jedrick Wills is the only newcomer, and he hasn’t played significant snaps since early in 2024. All four of them have been inconsistent and best through the preseason.
Ben Johnson pretty much has a simple decision.
The question he must ask is this. Which player will be serviceable enough to give the Bears four starts? That is how long Ozzy Trapilo will likely miss this season as he continues rehabbing from his knee injury last season. Johnson can reasonably get him back around the start of October. That means the Bears need somebody who can give them four games without completely messing it up. Based on what everybody has seen in training camp, Jones is looking like the favorite once again.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
It is pretty clear what the Bears have at this point. Jones is an athletic and smart blocker who can do enough things to be effective. He’ll never have a strong anchor to handle power rushers and remains an injury risk. Yet the fact remains that he is the most reliable pass blocker they have at that position until Trapilo is ready. Unless Ben Johnson pulls a late surprise over the next few weeks, it is hard to imagine Benedet or Wills overtaking him before the season begins.
The Bears have few alternatives at this point.
Their only viable solution would be to sign veteran Taylor Decker, who has deep connections to Johnson from their time together in Detroit. He’s a proven player with loads of experience and wouldn’t need much time to mesh with the system. The problem is that Decker doesn’t seem interested in playing this season. He was released by the Detroit Lions a few months ago. All rumors to this point suggest he’d rather not play than suit up for another team. Maybe the Bears could try changing his mind, but it feels too late for that.
Unless Wills magically hits another gear within the next week, expect Jones to be in the starting lineup come next month on opening day. It isn’t ideal, but it’s the best the Bears can do. They just have to wait this out until Trapilo gets the green light. Then they must hope that he can regain the form he showed towards the end of last season when the offense was clicking.
