Seven months after a ruptured patellar tendon changed the outlook at left tackle, the Bears finally got the update they were waiting for on Ozzy Trapilo: he is back on the practice field.
The team said Trapilo was officially off the PUP list and took part in practice for the first time. He didn’t do much, but the important part was simple - he was out there.
That matters because Trapilo’s recovery had been moving faster than the original timeline suggested. When the injury happened in the NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers, Bears general manager Ryan Poles initially said Trapilo would miss most of the 2026 season. But recent video and images showed him making quicker progress, and last week Poles and head coach Ben Johnson said he could return earlier than expected and practice before the end of training camp.
Now that has happened.
Trapilo’s return gives the Bears a boost at a spot that has been unsettled throughout camp. None of the left tackles fighting for the job had clearly separated, and then Braxton Jones got hurt, which only made the situation messier. Trapilo’s presence changes that picture immediately.
The Bears have good reason to be excited about getting him back. After rotating through two left tackles, they turned to Trapilo to start the final two months of last season, and he stabilized the position. The 2025 second-round pick allowed 15 pressures, three quarterback hits, and two sacks in 283 pass-blocking snaps.
Pro Football Focus graded him at 69.9 overall, good for 37th out of 89 offensive tackles in the NFL. He also posted a 71.5 pass-blocking grade and a 63.6 run-blocking grade.
That balance was part of what made him so valuable. Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet each had their own issues when they were first asked to handle the job.
Jones was average in both pass protection and run blocking, while Benedet stood out more as a run blocker. Trapilo brought more stability in pass protection without giving much away in the run game, and that helped the offensive line fuel the third-best rushing attack in the NFL.
Whether Trapilo will be ready for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers remains unclear, but the trend line is pointing in that direction. For the Bears, getting their young starting left tackle back on the field is about as good as it gets.
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