The Bears have a left tackle problem on their hands, and it showed up fast in training camp.
Ozzy Trapilo is out for the long run, Braxton Jones has been splitting first-team reps with Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr., and then Thursday brought another jolt when Jones left practice with an injury. Reports suggest he avoided anything serious, but the optics only made the situation look shakier. For a team that was supposed to feel good about its offensive line, this is suddenly a real concern.
That’s why Taylor Decker makes sense as the name to watch.
Decker has spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions, and he once said that even after leaving the team on bad terms, he probably would never play for the Green Bay Packers or Bears. But the Lions released him after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a new deal, and he’s still unsigned. His projected market value sits at $21.3 million, which helps explain why the market hasn’t rushed to meet him there this late in the offseason.
Chicago doesn’t have endless flexibility, either. Over The Cap has the Bears with roughly $8.1 million in cap space, so any move would require Decker to come down from that number. Still, if he’s willing to accept something closer to an incentives-based “prove it” arrangement, the Bears could at least make the math work.
Decker isn’t being sold as a game-changing star. The appeal is steadiness.
He’s the kind of left tackle who won’t wow you every snap, but who can give a team Pro-Bowl-caliber stability for a season. In this case, that kind of dependable protection would matter plenty.
And there’s a football angle beyond just plugging the hole. A move to Chicago would give Decker a chance to face the Lions twice a year after the way things ended. He’d also be reuniting with his former offensive coordinator in the Windy City, which would only add to the familiarity.
The Bears don’t have a clean alternative here. Jones was up and down last season and lost the starting job for a reason, and the options behind him don’t inspire much more confidence. Chicago already knows how important it is to keep Caleb Williams in a clean pocket, and this is not the spot to cut corners.
Whether Decker would even entertain a reduced offer remains to be seen. But with the way the market has developed, this may be his last real chance to play a full season in 2026.
In Other News...
Bears Training Camp Depth Takes Another Hit At The Worst Time
Training camp is already thin enough for the Bears in the secondary, and Tuesdays red-zone work only added to the concern. Tyrique Stevenson and Luther Burden both got hurt in the same drill and had to be evaluated by the team trainer, another jolt for a roster group that has been losing defensive backs to injuries throughout camp.
Stevenson seemed to be dealing with a right hip or tailbone issue before heading back onto the field, which at least offered one small sign of relief. Burdens situation looked more troublesome in the moment, with the young receiver limping off with the trainer, leaving Chicago to monitor a camp session that was supposed to be about competition but instead became another reminder of how quickly depth can disappear. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Rookie Jordan Van Den Berg Is Crashing A Crowded Position Battle
Jordan Van Den Berg has quietly turned himself into one of the more interesting names in Bears camp. The sixth-round rookie defensive tackle missed time with an injury, but he is back on the field and getting work as Chicago sorts through a deep interior line group. With Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett penciled in as the starters, and Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore serving as the primary backups, Van Den Berg is finding a way to make his presence felt in a crowded room.
For a rookie trying to carve out a role, the challenge is not just getting healthy, but staying in the mix long enough to matter. Van Den Bergs return gives the Bears another body to evaluate as they sort out the bottom of the depth chart, and the decisions around Shemar Turner and James Lynch could help determine how much room there is for him. If he keeps stacking productive days in camp, the competition up front could get a little tighter for everyone else. [Read more 🡒]