Bears' left tackle battle shaping up to be one of training camp's biggest storylines

"It seems as though the Bears have some trepidation about paying Jones, too," Pro Football Sports Network wrote . "They selected Ozzy Trapilo near the end of the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Though more of an outsider candidate, Kiran Amegadjie was a third-round selection in 2024, as well. Chicago could have a sneaky position battle on their hands."

That whole contract thing could play a sneaky role in the outcome of the left tackle battle. Jones is on an expiring deal, and the market value of starting left tackles, even for a player in Jones' tier, is high.

All of the top 11 highest-paid left tackles are earning $20 million or more per year, with Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) earning the most at $28.1 million.

Jones won't command that kind of pay day, but a player with his experience (he's started 40 games over his first three seasons) and quality of play (he earned an 80.8 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024) means he will get paid, whether it's by the Bears or another team desperate for a left tackle.

Granted, NFL teams -- especially coaching staffs -- make decisions guided by wins and losses, and if Jones proves to be the best man for the left tackle job, he'll be the starter as soon as he's healthy. But I'm not sure that will be the case; Trapilo has exciting upside (and he's on a rookie contract).

In fact, Trapilo profiles as a better pro tackle than Jones did as an NFL Draft prospect, and while Jones' pre-draft evaluation has been made moot by his NFL play, Trapilo's is still very relevant. It's why Chicago selected him in the second round. They didn't need a right tackle; Darnell Wright has a chance to be that guy for the Bears for the next decade. Instead, Trapilo was brought to Chicago to pair with Wright and potentially form one of the better, young tackle tandems in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Amegadjie will look to make up for what felt like a lost rookie season. His transition to the pros was slowed by a quad injury that derailed his first offseason workout program, and he was thrown into the fire in Week 8 as a starter against the Washington Commanders. He was brutal, and his season ended with the second-lowest PFF grade of any player on the Bears' offense (40.3).

Amegadjie never should've been handled the way Matt Eberflus' staff did last year. He was already making a massive jump in competition from Yale to the NFL; he needed a full redshirt season. His injury made that jump even more challenging, and to be a "starter" by midseason was downright malpractice. It's why he struggled, and it's also why he'll get a clean slate from Ben Johnson's crew in 2025.

So far, Johnson and his coaching staff have had eyes on two of the three left tackle contestants in person: Trapilo and Amegadjie. However, he has the most game film on Jones, making his absence from the offseason workout program less significant.

We're a long way away from knowing who will line up at left tackle in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. A lot will come down to Jones' health, which we'll learn more about over the next couple of weeks.