Bears Have a Left Tackle Problem After Preseason Week 2 and Ozzy Trapilo is the Only Hope

One of the most glaring issues from the Chicago Bears' preseason Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was the struggles the team saw at left tackle.

Braxton Jones was the first man up at the position and played two series in total. He was then relieved by Theo Benedet, who played 22 snaps before ceding work to Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills.

Before his exit, Jones committed a holding penalty on the first series that helped wreck Chicago's drive, and he got straight up bullied on the second drive by a Bengals defender and nearly landed in the lap of Case Keenum.

Bear in mind, the Bengals weren't playing their starters on Saturday night.

Braxton Jones rep in the 2nd drive. Ozzy Trapilo needs to get back soon! pic.twitter.com/QfzzAdhXMd
— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) August 22, 2026

In all, Jones finished with one pressure allowed, according to Pro Football Focus, and posted grades of 29.6 in pass-blocking and 54.4 in run-blocking. Not exactly encouraging work from the player who is considered the favorite at left tackle.

Benedet's raw PFF stats were better, with the veteran posting grades of 66.6 and 50.4 in run-blocking and pass protection, respectively, and he didn't give up a pressure.

But he also had back-to-back ugly reps before ultimately settling down a bit as the game progressed.

Tough back to back snaps for Theo here. (Typo saying Ozzy 1st time around)

Oversets in the pass pro then overreaches the run after. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/5HCY7TvTLn
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) August 23, 2026

As for Amegadjie and Wills, the former gave up a team-high three pressures and notched PFF grades of 70.4 and 57.0 in the run and pass games, and Wills surrendered one pressure and had a solid 80.2 in pass pro but a dreadful 47.5 in run-blocking.

Add those showings to the lackluster performances Wills and Amegadjie had in preseason Week 1 and you can see why the Bears have a major concern at left and swing tackle.

When asked about the performances of the tackles after the game, head coach Ben Johnson didn't have any insight and instead noted that he has to watch the film first.

However, Johnson also expressed disappointment with the state of competitions throughout the roster during the week and he expressed his desire for more clarity while also pointing out Chicago's left tackle competition remains wide open.

Safe to say, the Bears won't have any more clarity after Saturday night.

Bears need Ozzy Trapilo back as soon as possible

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo. — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks with offensive lineman (75) Ozzy Trapilo during rookie minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What all this shows us is that the Bears badly need Ozzy Trapilo, who is projected to start once he's all the way back.

Trapilo looked to be the future at the position after a strong rookie season before his torn patellar and the lackluster performances of the aforementioned left tackle candidates have only boosted his stock further.

Trapilo was activated off the PUP list last week and is well ahead of schedule, but it remains to be seen if he'll be ready to go by Week 1. While Trapilo has been doing some work at practice, he has not taken part fully and it isn't clear when he'll be able to do so.

The concern with Trapilo is that he may not be himself in his first games or even year back, so his return doesn't mean Chicago is completely out of the woods.

In no world should the Bears rush Trapilo back, but the sooner he can get on the field, the better off the Bears will be because the guys who could fill in for him just aren't it as we enter the preseason's final week.

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