Handicapping Chicago Bears' three-way or two-way tackle battle

Let the tackle battle begin.

The most crucial of the three signings the Bears needed to make is done, with Ozzy Trapilo's signing for what Pat Finley of the Sun-Times reported was four years with 62% guaranteed money in the third year and the first two seasons guaranteed at signing.

Now the Bears, at the very least, will have two combatants for starting left tackle when camp begins. Trapilo will battle with second-year tackle Kiran Amegadjie but the status of incumbent starter Braxton Jones remains unclear after his ankle surgery late last year.

The question no one with the Bears has answered or will answer might become very apparent anyway when actual practices start. That is whether there was a leader coming out of OTAs between Trapilo and Amegadjie.

It could very well be the winner ends up starting because of Jones' ankle or if the Bears liked what they saw from the two younger players and traded Jones, although there's no indication he's on the blocks at this time. Players coming back from injury usually aren't attractive to other teams until they can prove they're healthy.

There were some indication how the Bears thought of their two young tackle combatants during OTAs, although coach Ben Johnson stressed no one wins jobs in OTAs. It's true enough but maybe they position themselves for it.

At the last open OTA media could attend, Darnell Wright wasn't there because rookies and younger players only took part. Amegadjie was playing right tackle and not left. It's possible they looked at Amegadjie on another day at left tackle in the final week of rookie work because media doesn't see all the sessions.

Physical edge

One of the physical attributes sought for all left tackles is long arms. Amegadjie beats the stuffing out of both Trapilo and Jones in this regard. His arms are 36 3/8 inches, top 5% for all tackles ever at the combine. Jones' arms are 35 3/8, top 7% for all tackles. Although he's 6-foot-8, Trapilo's are only 33 inches. Trapilo has an 81-inch wingspan, Amegadjie 85 1/2 (top 6%) and Jones 83 1/2 (top 14%).

If reach means anything, Amegadjie should have an good advantage. But playing only 14 games at left tackle against FCS competition at Yale and 10 at guard doesn't quite measure up to the three seasons Jones has had in the NFL already and Trapilo's 43 games against FBS competition.

Yet Amegadjie seemed to struggle with many basic aspects last year when he didn't have a training camp or OTAs.

"We've got to build his confidence," offensive line coach Dan Roushar told reporters about Amegadjie, as the Bears were in their spring conditioning work. "We've got to build him fundamentally. He seems to be really willing and I am excited about that."

That sounds more like a project rather than a competitor.

Perhaps it comes down to Trapilo and Jones then, and it really can't until they see Jones able to practice. His 21st best grade by Pro Football Focus of 140 tackles in the league last year doesn't really mean much until such a point.

"If he were healthy today, he would be our left tackle and we would have confidence in him doing the job," Roushar said of Jones. "That's going to be a little bit of a process for his recovery but if nothing changed, I would see Braxton being our left tackle at the moment."

Until that moment, though, Trapilo has a real chance to seize an opportunity, even if he has to do it with shorter arms.