As head coach Ben Johnson figures out his initial offensive line with the Chicago Bears, the idea of moving Darnell Wright from right to left tackle has been discussed. However, Johnson is standing firm on not having Wright go through a position switch.
With Braxton Jones poised to return from his season-ending ankle injury, he is joining Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie in the battling to be the starting right tackle. In terms of right tackle though, Johnson remained blunt when it came to Wright, via the team’s Tuesday press conference.
“Our plan is to keep Darnell on the right side right now,” Johnson said.
Now that right tackle is officially accounted for, Johnson is shifting his focus back onto the left side. With it being his first year in Chicago, he is truly wiping the slate clean. All three of Jones, Trapilo and Amegadjie will be given a fair opportunity to win the left tackle job.
“Everything is going to matter. Every play matters, its all going to matter as we go through this thing,” Johnson said. “I can’t tell you I’ve been through a three-man race before. Each play is going to be evaluated, they need to take full advantage of every opportunity that they get.”
Chicago Bears’ three-headed left tackle battle
Jones enters the competition as the incumbent, having started 40 games over his three-year career with the Bears. He has looked strong when on the field, as his 77.4 grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 21/140 tackles. However, the keyword there is when, as Jones appeared in just 12 games during the 2024 season and 11 in 2023.
The fact Jones is ready for training camp is a great sign. But Johnson won’t just hand him the starting role upon his return.
“I would like to think his experience will help him, but we’re coming in with blank slates right now,” Johnson said. “Just because one guy has played and another guy hasn’t in this league, we’re going to let the competition play out. We’ll see where it goes.”
Amegadjie dealt with injury issues of his own as a rookie, appearing in just six games. He was largely overmatched in his lone start against the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson’s slate wiping philosophy will work in his favor. But the fact the head coach didn’t draft Amegadjie means the tackle needs to make a strong first impression.
The Bears used a second-round selection on Trapilo in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was a standout right tackle at Boston College, earning First-team All-ACC honors in 2024. However, Trapilo is now being tasked with moving over to the left side. How he is able to handle the position switch against NFL competition will be extremely telling of Trapilo’s playing time as a rookie.
As it stands, four out of the five positions on Chicago’s offensive line are set, starting with Wright at right tackle. Whoever lands the left tackle job must prove to not be a glaring weak link.
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