The Chicago Bears could enter Week 1 with four new starters along the offensive line. With the three interior additions solidified as starters, who will win the left tackle job?
Over the past decade-plus, the best ways to describe the Chicago Bears’ offensive line play have been far more negative than anything positive. Disappointing. Bad. Really bad. Awful. Worst in the league. All adjectives have been used to describe this group for far too long. When fans ask why young quarterbacks fail in Chicago or why their offenses have consistently been in the bottom half of the league, there’s a simple explanation: It all starts up front.
That’s a concept that many failed regimes before general manager Ryan Poles never seemed to figure out. Even Poles himself has struggled to address their shortcomings properly, which has led to two young quarterbacks being sacked into submission in far too many games.
Breathe easy, Bears fans. When Ben Johnson was hired in late January, he brought a level of common sense that has continually eluded his predecessors. Not only did Chicago hire an offensive guru, but they’ve hitched their wagon to a coach who understands the core concepts of protection and how that directly impacts how good any offense can become.
Going into the offseason, all three starting interior spots were open for business. Instead of pivoting to re-sign one of those players for a false sense of comfort, the team remained aggressive in its approach to drastic improvement. The free agent market wasn’t as strong as last year, and became worse when Kansas City franchise-tagged Trey Smith. Instead of panicking, the team’s front office pivoted to trade options. In less than 24 hours, they acquired Jonah Jackson and All-Pro Joe Thuney for a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, respectively. It would have been easy (and understandable) for them to rest on their laurels when it came to center. Instead, they remained aggressive by landing Drew Dalman in the opening hour of the legal negotiation period. In that way, the Bears had taken a unit that was well below average and turned it into a strength.
Heading into the draft, left tackle was the only starting spot in question. Incumbent starter Braxton Jones is coming off a brutal broken leg that cost him the final few games in late December. On top of that, Jones is one year away from cashing in with a fresh deal. Like it or not, the Bears have reached a point in their roster-building process where they must look ahead to the future. Part of that involves assessing the financial impacts on specific positional groups, such as the offensive line. Considering the Tennessee Titans gave Dan Moore a four-year, $82 million deal with $50 million in total guarantees, that should act as a baseline for Jones in contract negotiations with the Bears. After all, Jones has been a considerably better player over his first three years in the league. Add that yearly figure onto what they currently pay their other interior players, and that becomes one of the league’s most expensive offensive lines. It severely hampers their ability to spend at different positions over the next few offseasons.
Due to the ambiguity surrounding Jones’ immediate and long-term future, it was no surprise that they came away with a prospect early in the draft who could play left tackle. It also creates the lone competition point on the offensive depth chart. So, what now?
What We Know
Barring an injury before the start of Week 1, four of the five starters along the offensive line are all but set in stone. Thuney, Dalman, and Jackson will handle the interior (from left to right), and Darnell Wright (most likely at right tackle) stands as the one “lock” as a returning starter from 2024.
We’ll discuss it more later, but the majority of their roster battles on the offensive line will be at spots six through 10.
With the health of Jones still in question to start training camp, this year’s No. 56 overall pick, Ozzy Trapilo, and last year’s third-round pick, Kiran Amegadjie, have been splitting time at left tackle with the starters. Trapilo was a three-year starter at Boston College, splitting time at both tackle spots. It’s worth noting that he has not played at left tackle since 2022. Amegadjie started 14 of his 24 career games at left tackle. All of which came in the final 14 games of his college career. Because of his quad injury, he missed the offseason program and more than half of training camp. For many reasons, Amegadjie should have been redshirted last season. Instead, he played 126 total snaps and ranked 135th out of 140 offensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
Poles and the coaching staff quickly dismissed his struggles from last year, citing a small sample size. Fair or not, the Hinsdale product struggled mightily, committing five penalties, giving up one sack, and a 40.3 PFF overall grade. It must also be recognized that the 23-year-old was not drafted with this coaching staff in the building. Instead, Johnson and his staff heavily influenced the Trapilo selection in the second round.
What We Don’t Know
- Will Jones be active when training camp opens up late next month? If so, does he get the first crack at the starting job?
- How much progress has Amegadjie made with this coaching staff, and how do they truly feel about him?
- Trapilo impressed without pads, primarily due to his pad level, athleticism, and smooth technique. What does that look like once the pads come on?
- Johnson said the coaching staff didn’t want to shuffle the offensive line once training camp started. Did they see enough to feel comfortable in keeping the same sentiment?
- What would it take for them to give Wright a look on the left side?
As excited as some fans are, it’s best to step back and ask questions about the process. First and foremost, Jones’ availability for camp might dictate the team’s first move. If the 26-year-old is healthy enough to stay off the PUP list, he should get the first opportunity to win the job. After all, PFF graded Jones as last year’s 20th-best tackle in the league. He was credited with giving up five sacks and seven penalties, but he had an 80.8 pass blocking grade and ranked 17th among all tackles.
Figuring out the pecking order behind Jones (healthy or not) is the next order of business. Did Amegadjie show enough in OTAs and minicamp to receive first-team reps? Assuming the coaching staff is as high on Trapilo as they claim, it’s hard to imagine many scenarios where Trapilo doesn’t receive the first crack at the job (if Jones remains out). The Bears have set themselves up in a favorable situation, especially if Jones misses a few weeks of camp. His absence allows the team to evaluate two unproven, but highly drafted tackles who will likely be competing for the starting job in 2026. The most realistic scenario (to me) would be Trapilo getting the first crack at the job. If he fails, the team can either pivot back to Jones if he’s healthy or give Amegadjie an extended look. Assuming Jones isn’t placed on PUP heading into the season, he should be healthy and ready to go by Week 1 regardless.
The current scenario allows for the Bears to play things slow with Jones, while giving both Trapilo and Amegadjie an extended look without hurting feelings or tipping their hand (one way or the other). It would also allow the new coaching staff to see both young tackles in pads and some game action before Jones was healthy enough to return to practice and/or games. Teams want to be careful during the preseason, but they could play one guy for the first half and the other in the second half. The options are limitless, and frankly, pretty flexible.
When Johnson said they’d like to avoid flipping players once camp begins, it’s easy to take that as making no changes and keeping starters in place. During rookie minicamp, the team’s head coach noted that nobody wins jobs in shorts and a T-shirt. This would lead me to believe that Johnson’s original comment was more about not flipping sides versus having an open competition for the starting left tackle role. This is why I find it hard to believe that Wright will get a legitimate shot to see time at left tackle. In a scenario of four options, the former No. 10 overall pick should be option No. 4. From my view, it would take multiple bad scenarios for Wright to see any legitimate snaps at left tackle. Leave him be and have faith that one of your three other options will provide enough upside in 2025.
What is the ideal outcome at left tackle (and a deeper look at their depth)?
This might be the biggest question surrounding this reimagined offensive line. Much of the answer depends on how you look at the situation.
Suppose you’re somebody who has eyes beyond 2025. In that case, it’s hard to imagine many scenarios where the Bears could afford to extend Thuney, pay Jackson and Dalman, and still find a way to be financially responsible in extending Jones. Is it impossible? No. Is it the most innovative way to invest cap dollars two years away from your quarterback receiving a massive extension? Also, no.
In the short term, Jones (if healthy) is the safest option for 2025. There’s no real way to deny that, unless you’re one of the few who believe a rookie (or Amegadjie) could step in and play at a similar level in their first year of starting. Don’t get me wrong: I’m pretty high on Trapilo. Even so, he’s a rookie who hasn’t played left tackle in a game since 2022. There will be some bumps and bruises along the way. I’m also willing to acknowledge that if the Bears want to be financially responsible, they must find a cheaper solution at left tackle. For some, it’s a conflicting situation. For me, I’m open to seeing all sides. I could be talked into Trapilo and Amegadjie sitting behind Jones until later in the season (or an injury arises). I would also be cautiously optimistic if the coaching staff decides to start either of the younger players (hopefully Trapilo). One significant advantage of having the interior figured out is that it’s easy to run out an inexperienced tackle when playing next to an All-Pro like Thuney. I would not have shared the same confidence over the past few years, which says a lot.
Being realistic, the chances of the Bears hitting on both Amegadjie and Trapilo are slim. Tackles taken outside of the first round have a much higher failure rate, and that’s OK to acknowledge. Simply put, the Bears just need one of them to be good. In addition to the advantage of playing next to Thuney, both players will also have the luxury of being coached by one of the better offensive line minds in football. Dan Roushar’s resume speaks for itself, and combined with his fit with Johnson’s overall offensive vision, there’s no reason to believe that coaching wouldn’t play a big part in how all of this shakes out.
Moving down the list of priorities, sorting out the depth chart behind the five starters will be next. No matter who the Week 1 starting left tackle is, their tackle depth promises to be better than they’ve had in a long time. The loser(s) of that battle will immediately slide to the top options off the bench. Behind them will be Ryan Bates, who can play all three interior spots, Luke Newman, who can play guard and center, Bill Murray, and former Day 3 picks like Jordan McFadden and Ricky Stromberg.
It’s unclear how many linemen the Bears will choose to keep on the final 53-man roster. Most teams go with nine, but I’m sure Chicago could maneuver the rest of their spots to make room for a 10th player, especially considering how many injury issues they’ve had in recent memory. Overall, their depth should consist of a quality blend of proven veterans and developmental talents, such as Amegadjie/Trapilo, Newman, and even Murray.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are elite offensive lines. Fans should feel the excitement while staying realistic that this group might take some time to gel. The goal for 2025 should be somewhere between above average and good. Even an average unit would drastically improve over what we’ve seen in the last seven-plus years. As we learned last year, an offense can only go as far as the offensive line takes them. Quickly and accurately sifting through their left tackle options is priority No. 1, but don’t underestimate the value of quality depth, which it appears the Bears will finally have.