Caleb Williams has a new blind side protector coming out of the Bears’ Week 5 bye. Head coach Ben Johnson announced (via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain) that second-year offensive lineman Theo Benedet will start at left tackle on Monday against the Commanders.
Benedet started at right tackle in Week 4 against the Raiders with Darnell Wright nursing an elbow injury. Partway through the game, Johnson flipped Benedet to left tackle to replace Braxton Jones and inserted rookie Ozzy Trapilo on the right side. Chicago’s offense did not roar to life as Johnson may have hoped, but they were able to hold on for a 25-24 win in Las Vegas.
Benedet apparently performed well enough to hang onto the left tackle job, despite poor grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Jones also dealt with an ankle injury this offseason and may not have gotten all the way back to 100% before the season starter, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Though he has not popped up on the injury report, some rest may still be necessary to get him back to full strength, as his play has taken a hit relative to previous seasons.
In the meantime, the Bears will move forward with Benedet, who played college football in Canada for the University of British Columbia before arriving in Chicago as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He spent his first season on the practice squad and emerged as a surprising factor in the Bears’ left tackle competition during training camp this past summer.
It will be very interesting to see if Jones gets a chance to win his job back, as it is a contract year for the 2022 fifth-round pick. He was a rare Day 3 draftee to start at left tackle as a rookie, but regime change always brings roster turnover. The Bears can hold onto Benedet through the 2027 season, and both Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie could be long-term options at left tackle. That would make it difficult to justify re-signing Jones after the season, especially if Chicago intends to hang onto Wright, their 2023 first-round pick.