The Bears’ left tackle situation has shifted again, and it leaves Chicago with a pretty clear answer: Ozzy Trapilo needs to be the guy.
Braxton Jones is out for the season, and Theo Benedet is dealing with a shoulder injury after reportedly suffering it at some point in the win over the Seattle Seahawks. Benedet was listed as a non-participant on the team’s latest injury report, so even if he suits up, there’s no guarantee he’s anywhere close to full strength.
That matters because the next opponent brings real pressure up front. The Bears are heading into a matchup with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line that can “bring the heat in the trenches,” and that group includes Vita Vea and the rising Rueben Bain Jr. Chicago does not want a compromised blocker anywhere near Caleb Williams’ blind side.
Trapilo has already shown enough to justify the move. He stepped in at left tackle last season before a season-ending knee injury, and he looked like the right answer.
The second-year tackle was supposed to miss most, if not all, of this season, but he recovered far faster than expected. Even with that comeback, Ben Johnson and the staff have kept him on a limited role, using him only as an additional blocker.
That cautious approach made sense early on. Getting back off a major injury is one thing; handling a full-time workload is another. But the Bears have reached the point where the waiting game no longer makes much sense.
They have already put major resources into building strength in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They also know what happened with Caleb Williams as a rookie, when he was the most-sacked quarterback in the league. The goal now is obvious: give him a cleaner pocket and stop patching the left tackle spot with uncertainty.
Chicago already has Darnell Wright locked in at right tackle, and Joe Thuney has been described as maybe the best left guard in the past decade. With those pieces in place, the final step is finding a blindside protector who can hold up. Trapilo has already earned the chance to do exactly that.
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