Bear Digest

Ozzy Trapilo injury forces Bears to scramble ahead of Rams game

Can the Bears hold off the Rams' dominant pass rush without their left tackle?
Pete Martuneac|
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Chicago Bears

Lost amid the euphoric celebrations after the Chicago Bears' miraculous Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers was a double-whammy of sobering injury news. The Bears lost two key starters, linebacker T.J. Edwards and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, to season-ending injuries. There's never a good time to lose starters to major injuries, but trying to advance in the playoffs without them will be tremendously difficult.

Neither player will be easy to replace, but the offense will have a decidedly harder time filling Trapilo's shoes at left tackle. Despite starting the season buried on the depth chart, causing no end of consternation to Bears fans who expected more of the second-round rookie, Trapilo took the starting left tackle role about halfway through the season and never looked back.

But Trapilo suffered a ruptured patellar tendon on Chicago's final offensive drive of the game, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, and now the Bears need to figure out their offensive line for their upcoming Divisional Round matchup against the mighty Los Angeles Rams.

Chicago is in a bind, but not an impossible one

In all likelihood, the Bears will turn to 2024 undrafted free agent Theo Benedet as their starting left tackle on Sunday. In the Wild Card game, Benedet came in for Trapilo, who had the wherewithal to quickly limp to the sideline to avoid costing the Bears a timeout in a crucial situation. He only played a few snaps, but he looked good.

However, a few emergency snaps against an exhausted defense isn't much to write home about, and we already know what to expect from Benedet after his handful of starts earlier in the season. He's fine, but a significant step down from Trapilo in terms of strength and speed. This means that Ben Johnson will need to come up with a new plan that accounts for this unexpected weakness on the left side of the offensive line.

I mean no disrespect to Benedet with any of this, but these are the facts. You can bet your bottom dollar that the Rams will send their best players after Benedet, and Johnson will have to send extra protection to that side, taking away potential playmakers from Caleb Williams. The Bears should still be able to score against the Rams (we've learned by now to never bet against Williams and this offense), but Benedet will need to have the best game of his life to keep Chicago's postseason train rolling.

Theo Benede
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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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