The Chicago Bears appear to have a semi-open competition at left tackle while incumbent starter Braxton Jones recovers from the fractured ankle he suffered late in the 2024 season.
Jones is expected to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list, making the battle for his immediate backup as important as a traditional starting job that's up for grabs.
Let's face it: whoever wins the LT2 derby could open the 2025 regular season as Caleb Williams's blindside protector. And with Jones missing critical reps early in the Ben Johnson era, the competition between second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie and rookie Ozzy Trapilo might actually be for the season-long starting job.
During Wednesday's OTA practice, it was Trapilo who took every rep with the starters at left tackle. This was a change from the first set of OTAs last week, when it was Amegadjie who lined up with the ones.
Johnson noted after practice that a rotation like that will continue until one of the young tackles separates himself in the competition.
"So the left side until we get Braxton back in the mix, it’s going to be a little bit of musical chairs,” he said.
He also confirmed that Darnell Wright most likely won't be a contender for left tackle; he's the team's long-term right tackle. Maybe.
Johnson didn't close the door on Wright moving to the left side, but he certainly sounded like a head coach who felt good about the right side of his offensive line.
"We feel pretty comfortable keeping him at the right side right now," Johnson said.
Get used to Trapilo lining up with the first team. It may be a little while before he locks down the starting job for good, but if anyone on the roster is going to unseat Jones in 2025, it's the former Boston College standout. He possesses all of the traits needed to be a quality starting tackle in the NFL, and with Johnson being a big part of his evaluation and the decision to spend a second-round pick on him, you can bet he'll be championing him as his LT1.
