As the Chicago Bears progress through their training camp, we will look at some position battles. One of the biggest is the battle for Caleb Williams’ blindside.
Training camp is underway for the Chicago Bears. The preparations for a successful 2025 season have begun. General Manager Ryan Poles made his offseason moves to strengthen not only the roster but also the coaching staff. Now we all get a glimpse of how the changes come together.
Additionally, the battles for some positions and just to make the rosters are in session now. There are players who are fighting to win a starting job while others are just fighting for a spot. We will take a look at some of the position battles.
One of, if not the most, important battles is at left tackle. The left tackle is a critical position. He protects quarterback Caleb Williams‘ blindside. We saw last season how Williams had to run for his life and the number of big hits he took when he did not see them coming. There were too many games in which he took a beating.
This battle is interesting. Usually when you see a position battle it is among two players. This one, however, involved three players. Braxton Jones is the incumbent. In the last three seasons he started 40 games. However, he has dealt with injuries in the last two games. In that time, he missed 11 games.
Behind Jones are two younger players. Kiran Amegadjie is in his second season. He was the Chicago Bears’ third round pick. He was dealing with an injury, however, and missed all of training camp and all the preseason games. As soon as he was healthy enough to play, Jones was injured and Amegadjie was thrusted into a starting spot.
Things did not go well for Amegadjie. Without training camp and preseason snaps he looked lost at times. This time, though, he is healthy and ready to battle for the job.
The Chicago Bears also drafted another tackle to put into the mix. Poles selected Ozzy Trapilo in the second round of this year’s draft. Trapilo measures 6-foot-8 and weighs 310 pounds and is quick and powerful. Many feel he will eventually be a plus starter. The question now is if the future is now for him.
Poles declared Jones ready to go. He sat out the offseason while he finished recovering from ankle surgery. While he has the advantage with his experience, he is on the same boat as the other two since they are all learning a new system this season.
New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson recently spoke on the battle at left tackle. Despite Jones’ experience, Johnson feels that there is an open battle for the job. Being new at the job, all three have an equal shot at winning the job. Additionally, the Bears used second and third round picks to shore up the position so they want to see their investments pay off.
We’re coming in with blank slates right now. And so just because a guy’s played and another guy hasn’t in this league, we’re going to let the competition play out and we’ll see where it goes.
Despite having the least experience between the three competitors, Trapilo has already taken some reps with the starters. Look for him to see more as camp progresses. Meanwhile, Amegadjie is just thankful that he is attending training camp.
Jones will have his hands full during camp. He has been solid in his time as starter, but not remarkable. If someone can step up and dominate, Jones could be looking at starting the season as a backup.
Amegadjie has the most to prove. Yes, he was dealt a bad hand last season. He was thrown to the wolves without being properly prepared. Now he has the opportunity to show why the Chicago Bears selected him with such a high pick.
Trapilo has the tools to be a dominant player. He has impressive size and is quick for his size. Also, he has the strength in his lower body and in his initial punch to stop rushing defenders cold.
We saw that the Chicago Bears are not averse to using a rookie to start at the position. Jones won the job in spite of being a fifth round pick just trying to make the team. He impressed from the beginning of rookie camp and continued it throughout training camp, winning the job. Now the same could happen to him.
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