The Chicago Bears‘ contest against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday provided some insight into what head coach Ben Johnson is thinking about the left tackle position. The Bears gave the start to fourth-year offensive lineman Braxton Jones, with rookie Ozzy Trapilo taking reps in the second quarter.
Trapilo, a second-round pick out of Boston College, received much praise for his effort at OTAs. However, he appears to be hitting a speed bump at training camp. There are questions about whether he can play at left tackle at the NFL level, and his play on Sunday appears to show he has a lot to catch up on if Chicago is going to have a legitimate competition at left tackle.
Braxton Jones is trending as the starter for the Chicago Bears
Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the job is Jones’ to lose after Sunday.
“Jones also started with the first unit on Friday during the joint practice with the Dolphins,” Biggs wrote. “Maybe that’s a clue as to the direction things are headed. Trapilo came in late in the second quarter and also got 22 snaps over four consecutive series before Theo Benedet, an undrafted rookie a year ago from British Columbia, got two series and then Trapilo returned to close out the game.
“It’s probably Jones’ job to lose. He’s 26, entering his fourth season and has made 40 career starts. Maybe the Bears feel like, when healthy, he’s plateaued and is what he is at this point. But they surely don’t want to rush Trapilo if he’s not ready. On his second snap, Miami’s Kenneth Grant got around Trapilo to deflect Tyson Bagent’s pass.”
The Chicago Bears don’t have a legit LT1 right now
Jones didn’t have a great day either, allowing a defender to beat him on Bagent’s touchdown pass to Maurice Alexander. Trapilo earned a 54.2 overall grade for his play, per PFF. That was a little than Jones’ grade of 57.9, though Jones played tougher competition from the Dolphins.
The Bears don’t have anyone standing out and making a case to win the starting job. Apparently, Kiran Amegadjie has all but dropped out of the race, as he’s been out of practice since July 30 due to a leg injury. The 2024 third-round pick has now been injured in the bulk of two training camps.
The Bears’ best bet is to hope Jones is starting slow in the preseason after being off the field for a long time due to his injury. Trapilo doesn’t look like a Day 1 starter, and might never become a starter at left tackle.
General manager Ryan Poles has picked project players (Trapilo) and injured players like defensive tackle Shemar Turner and Amegadjie as a staple of his Day 2 picks. And the Bears are still dealing with the injuries and trying to fix the projects with a few weeks to go before Week 1.
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