The Bears’ left tackle picture still points toward Braxton Jones for Week 1, but Ozzy Trapilo has kept this from becoming a done deal.
Jones has been the expected starter through the second straight training camp and preseason in which Chicago’s left tackle competition never truly turned into one. Still, the Bears introduced a wrinkle in mid-August when Trapilo returned to practice after recovering from a torn patellar tendon suffered in January.
Chicago did not place Trapilo on injured reserve when it built its initial 53-man roster, a move that would have sidelined him for at least the first four games. That choice says plenty about how the team views his recovery. He could still be inactive for the opener, but he also has a path to being dressed and available in Week 1, more than eight months after the injury.
On 104.3 The Score’s “Rahimi and Grote,” Bears beat writer Chris Emma was asked by co-host Mark Grote why Jones still has not officially been named the Week 1 left tackle. Emma didn’t shut the door on Trapilo.
"That's a great question, Emma said. "Again, I go back to Ozzy Trapilo.
This is Braxton Jones' job until it's not. Until Ozzy Trapilo takes it.
I'm really fascinated to see where Ozzy Trapilo is in his ramp up here."
Emma pointed to the way Trapilo made his presence felt late last season and noted how remarkable it is that his status is even part of the Week 1 conversation this close to the opener.
For now, the money remains on Jones starting against the Carolina Panthers. But head coach Ben Johnson had a chance this week to make that official and didn’t. Instead, he stayed in broad, coach-speak territory, talking about being "good to go", being "able to operate" and "score points," and stressing that it takes "all 11 of those guys out there in order to get that done."
Unless Jones suddenly elevates to All-Pro level play, the job looks temporary - a seat warm until Trapilo is ready. That said, however improbable it may seem, the Bears are leaving open the possibility that Trapilo could reclaim the spot without missing a regular-season game.
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