The Bears have already made the kind of jump that changes the mood around a franchise. They went from 5-12 and last in the NFC North in 2024 to 11-6 and division champs a year later, and the biggest reason for that rise was the offensive line.
That unit took a major hit in January, though, when rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo went down in Chicago’s opening-round playoff win over the Green Bay Packers with a ruptured patellar tendon. The Bears are not expected to have him back before late in the 2026 regular season, if he returns at all.
That leaves a glaring hole at left tackle, and the most proven free-agent answer on the market is Taylor Decker. The 10-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions, starting 140 games there, including 46 over three seasons from 2022-24 under Ben Johnson, who was Detroit’s offensive coordinator before taking over as the Bears’ head coach in 2025.
Chicago has not exactly acted like a team eager to spend big to patch the spot. Braxton Jones is back on a one-year deal after losing the job early last season amid repeated injury issues.
Jedrick Wills Jr., a former first-round pick who did not play a snap in 2025, was signed to a league-minimum contract. Theo Benedet, who saw time at left tackle before Trapilo took over the role full-time, is also in the mix heading into training camp.
There is a case for Chicago to be aggressive here. Decker made the Pro Bowl in 2024 and will be 33 this season, and Spotrac projects his market value at more than $43 million on a new two-year deal. That kind of commitment could be more than the Bears want to make if they are banking on Trapilo returning, hopefully, by the end of 2026.
But Decker’s history with Johnson gives Chicago a clear reason to at least push. Even if the Bears have to go to two years, the payoff could be worth it in 2027.
This is bigger than just protecting a division title, the first for Chicago since 2018, or simply getting back to the playoffs after last season’s trip, the franchise’s first since 2020. The Bears are trying to build something that lasts behind Johnson and Caleb Williams, and 2026 is a pivotal year for that pairing.
Williams has never missed a game. Since the Bears drafted him No. 1 overall in April 2024, he has started all 34 regular-season games and both playoff games.
With that kind of durability and that kind of upside, Chicago cannot afford to get cheap on his blind side. The ceiling here is enormous, and the next couple of seasons could decide just how high it goes.
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