Bear Digest

Where Bears Line Coach Thinks They Can Find Next Left Tackle Starter

Finding an Ozzy Trapilo replacement will be a Bears issue at least until March 9 and possibly later, but line coach Dan Roushar has an idea how they'll do it.
Gene Chamberlain|
Cole Kmet and Ozzy Trapilo celebrate a Bears touchdown last season.
Cole Kmet and Ozzy Trapilo celebrate a Bears touchdown last season. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The way the Bears will address their left tackle problem remains entirely unclear and probably will continue this way until at least March 9 and the start of the free agent negotiating period.

Finding a replacement for injured Ozzy Trapilo could occur in  the draft if sufficient talent lasts, because they'll probably have to devote earlier picks to defense.

GM Ryan Poles couldn't be sure Tuesday at the combine how deep the tackle position looks in the draft.

"Not sure, sometimes there are years where there’s a run, where they’re all gone,  where there’s a lot of them, sometimes there are a couple of guys who are sitting there waiting for you," he said. "So we’ll see how it shakes out."

Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar did make a very educated guess Thursday on where they can find the solution, while he made an appearance on a podcast hosted by one of his former New Orleans Saints tackles, Terron Armstead.

"It's a faceless, nameless guy right now," Roshar said, when asked who the left tackle will be after Trapilo's patellar tendon injury. "It has to become the way we play the game at left tackle, similar to what's being done at right tackle (Darnell Wright)."

Who Roushar thinks gets the job

Roushar offered an evaluation of players currently available on the team and what the best way to solve the problem might be.

"Is that player in the building?" Roushar said. "I think there's guys that have traits but not consistent enough, not the way we want it done consistently."

The players in the building are Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie.

He pointed out how Wright and also Armstead needed a few years to be at a high level after they were taken in the draft. Talent at the very top of Round 1 can sometimes arrive ready to play, though.

"But it takes probably draft capital or asset we currently don't have," Roushar pointed out.

The Bears simply don't have a way to get defensive line help and still use the 25th pick or even trade up for a better offensive tackle in Round 1 of the draft.

"So it's probably most likely either through free agency or it's in the building," Roushar said. "In my opinion is if it's anywhere outside of here, it's (already) here. So that's how we're going to approach it. We're going to work with the guys we've got and we're going to make it better."

It's easier at this point for Roushar to say this, but coming up with cap space through restructured contracts to sign a free agent or someone who will be cut for cap purposes could change that thought.

The Bears could have the opportunity to add tackle Trent Williams if he is released by the 49ers, or there could be others cut for cap purposes.

The answer from Roushar might be completely different after March 9.

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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.