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Where Bears Left Tackle Situation Appears Headed for Cincinnati Trip

Kiran Amegadjie acquitted himself fairly well in the preseason opener but an early verdict Ben Johnson hoped for in the left tackle battle hasn't been achieved.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kiran Amegadjie blocks for Tyson Bagent against Cleveland early in the first half at Soldier Field.
Kiran Amegadjie blocks for Tyson Bagent against Cleveland early in the first half at Soldier Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The left tackle situation hardly cleared up for the Bears on Saturday in the 34-10 preseason-opening win over Cleveland, but it soon could.

Neither Kiran Amegadjie nor Bears coach Ben Johnson emerged from the win feeling too upbeat about the way play went Saturday at the position, but at least Amegadjie had one less key mistake than Jedrick Wills Jr.

It was Wills who gave up a sack of Tyson Bagent in the second quarter to Browns edge rusher Julian Okwara in a relief role. Then Wills left the game with Amegadjie returning after he had started. It's definitely not customary for players to come back into games once their playing time is finished in preseason. It's probably not even recommended health-wise, but that's how the Bears chose to handle it. Wills did get to play during a drive to a touchdown on a throw to Brittain Brown.

"It's tough to get in a rhythm sitting in the second quarter and then coming back," Amegadjie admitted.

Maybe Amegadjie's tough luck has ended

The third-year tackle from Yale often is the target of criticism because he hasn't come close to becoming a starter after being taken by GM Ryan Poles in Round 3 ahead of players at need positions. However, the Hinsdale native with 36-inch arms also hasn't had the chance to work at his craft free of injury.

Amegadjie was on the field when the Bears sprang a screen to his side that was cut back by Salvon Ahmed for a 49-yard touchdown. Johnson may have liked the 24 second-half points and that play in particular, but wasn't calling it a victory for Amegadjie in his battle with Wills for second left tackle and possibly a roster spot.

“I think that's a hard one for me to assess right now," Johnson said afterward. "Sometimes that trench play, you have to go ahead and take a look through the lens from behind and really be able to take a look at it.

"But, as a whole, I would say the offensive line, I felt like our quarterback got hit more than I would like. Tyson certainly did in the first half. And in the second half, we still felt some pressures there on Case (Keenum) and Miller (Moss). So, we'll look at why that was the case. Then running game-wise was a little bit spotty as well. So, different style. The defense certainly attributes to that. Their front is coming off the ball, and they make it very difficult for one-on-one blocks and you have to be very specific with your angles and all that. And so, there's a back and forth there in
the running game as well. So, hard to say a whole lot about left tackle quite yet.”

At this point, it would seem Amegadjie should be calling it a victory just to be making a meaningful contribution after he hadn't shown up much his first two years. When a player is drafted, they have lofty ambitions but Amegadjie is almost in the same situation as a rookie trying to impress coaches.

"I mean its hard to say I'm where I thought I'd be, seeing as how I've started one game in three years and I've been injured multiple times," Amegadjie said. "So there's obviously that level of frustration.

"I'm not the player that I wanted to be yet obviously. But I'm working towards that. Everybody has a different pathway in the NFL. As a competitor obviously it is fustrating to not be out there and not be healthy, but I am healthy now and I'm focusing on being on the field as long as I can."

Amegadjie had a calf strain in 2024 after the team started to look at him during a lost season, then spent the full 2025 season on injured reserve after an elbow injury. In the meantime, the Bears went through three starting left tackles before settling on Ozzy Trapilo — only to have him get injured in the playoffs. Veteran guard Joe Thuney had to take the spot for the playoff loss.

Where this tackle situation is leading

The two backup Bears tackles went into the first preseason game looking pretty even in the battle with injured starting favorie Braxton Jones, at least on paper. All three were listed as starter on the first depth chart.

Don't expect this to last much longer. Although there was rotation, Jones definitely had received the most playing time with starters before an unspecified injury took him out of practice two weeks ago. This could change starting Sunday afternoon or Tuesday because Johnson said Jones is one of the players he's expecting to return to practice for this week from among the injured.

The entire left tackle situation would take on a different look at that point, and it might morph further in future weeks.

Looming in the background is the possibility Trapilo returns for practice from his patellar tendon injury. Johnson had said last week the Bears' starter has a chance of returning for practice sometime later in preseason.

Whether he would immediately ascend beyond Jones is uncertain, but based on Pro Football Focus grades Trapilo was not nearly as impressive as Jones had been throughout his own rookie year. That was before Jones had his injury.

Either way, the tackle battle had been one Johnson said he hoped to have solved by the Browns game and it already is behind schedule.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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