The Bears’ offensive line is one of the more interesting parts of this roster heading into training camp, even if the top of the depth chart looks fairly settled. Braxton Jones and Garrett Bradbury are the likeliest answers at left tackle and center for 2026, but the real intrigue sits behind the starters, where an undrafted rookie could quietly force his way into the conversation.
That player is Mason Murphy, a former Auburn lineman who probably isn’t on many Bears fans’ radar yet. Chicago lists him as a tackle, but his value may come from being much more than that.
Murphy’s college résumé is exactly the kind of thing that catches an offensive line coach’s eye. At Auburn last season, before going undrafted in April, he started nine games at right tackle and three at center. He was moved inside for the final three games because of an injury to Connor Lew and trouble from the backup, and he handled the switch after spending the bulk of the year on the edge.
That wasn’t his first taste of moving around, either. Before Auburn, Murphy spent three years at USC and started games at right guard, left tackle and right tackle. That’s a lot of different jobs for one player, and it came at two major programs.
At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Murphy has the frame to fit in at multiple spots. For a Bears team that already has a crowded tackle room and established names in the middle, that kind of flexibility matters.
The path to a roster spot won’t be easy. At guard, Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson are locked in as starters, and Luke Newman and Jordan McFadden are both in the mix behind them after getting work even as recently as last year. At tackle, Jones and Darnell Wright sit at the top, with Theo Benedet also pushing for a role and looking like a strong bet to make the team while competing for the starting job.
Then there’s Jedrick Wills, the former first-round pick whose career has been slowed by injuries. He’s in the fight for a depth job. Kiran Amegadjie is also in the picture, though the source of his standing is less secure, with the possibility he could be on his way out of Chicago after being a third-round pick and a miss by Ryan Poles.
At center, the Bears have Logan Jones, their 2026 second-round pick, positioned behind Bradbury.
Still, Murphy has a real opening if he can turn that college versatility into something useful in camp. If he earns snaps in preseason games and shows up on film, there’s a clear case for keeping him around as the last man standing on the offensive line. In a group where injuries can change everything fast, that kind of plug-and-play flexibility is exactly what teams end up needing.
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