Bears Shock Fans with Surprise Left Tackle Contender No One Saw Coming!

As it currently stands, the Chicago Bears have a left tackle problem. Incumbent starter Braxton Jones is still on a long path to recovering from the fractured ankle he suffered last December, and the depth chart lacks an obvious candidate who can replace him.

The 2025 NFL Draft might solve this problem, as the Bears currently hold the 10th overall pick in a first round that should provide GM Ryan Poles a few left tackle prospects who are capable of starting this season.

But maybe there is a young left tackle on the roster who Chicago believes in as a potential long-term starter despite a rough rookie season in 2024.

Kiran Amegadjie.

Yes, that Kiran Amegadjie, who, in his limited exposure last season, looked like an Ivy League prospect who was overmatched by NFL play.

But the new Chicago Bears coaching staff, led by Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar, isn't concerned by the results of Amegajdie's play in 2024. In fact, it's quite the opposite. There's a lot of confidence in the former Yale Bulldog

"I don't think it's fair to evaluate on anything that he did last year [since he missed training camp]," Roushar said. "I'm excited about where he can go...he's got lower power traits. You see the length. You see the athleticism."

Those traits are what made Amegadjie a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft despite a pre-draft leg injury that kept him out of training camp. Once healthy, he was thrown into the fire way too soon, resulting in on-field performances that had most Bears fans wonder whether he was even an NFL talent.

But that was last year, and with a healthy offseason and one year of NFL experience, we should see the best of Amegadjie in 2025. Whether that 'best' is good enough to be the team's starting left tackle is a massive leap of faith, and one that I highly doubt Poles will rely on as injury insurance for Jones.

Instead, expect the Chicago Bears to target a left tackle with one of their first three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. And whoever that pick ends up being will be in a position to start much sooner than Amegadjie, even if he's healthy and improving on his rookie year.