Bears' rookie Ozzy Trapilo took full advantage of his offseason opportunities and now the real battle is set to present itself during training camp

Over the past few weeks, Trapilo has rotated in and out of the first-team left tackle spot with second-year offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie. That doesn't mean it was a battle between the two, it was just making sure both players got quality looks.

For Trapilo, specifically, being able to work in with the veteran starters was a significant opportunity. As the first-team left tackle, Trapilo got to work directly next to Joe Thuney, a three-time Pro Bowl left guard who has left tackle experience to share with the young rookie as well.

"The benefit of practice is you can get back to the huddle and talk a little bit about it, you don't have to just move onto the next play right now," Trapilo explained. "Talking through reps with [Thuney] and kind of seeing where his head's at and just picking his brain."

All of those reps were critical for Trapilo when it comes to potentially earning the starting job protecting Caleb Williams' blindside as a rookie, but the real test is still ahead for the player who's seemingly impressed at every turn thus far.

Real LT Battle Set To Begin In Training Camp

As Trapilo, himself, alluded to, the pads haven't been on yet for the players in the trenches. So, it's hard to get a true read on how any player has looked up-front.

For left tackle, there's another caveat that will factor into the battle for the starting job. Incumbent starter Braxton Jones is expected to return at some point in training camp after missing all offseason due to a fractured fibula suffered back in late December.

Jones' return to practice really opens up the field for the position battle, and the team's head coach shared some of the things he's looking to see when it comes to deciding who will earn the starting role.

"To me, the No. 1 job of an offensive tackle—doesn't matter right or left—is to pass protect," Johnson said. "You need to be able to block their best pass rusher one-on-one. To me, that's the No. 1 job and everything we can get out of them in the run game will be gravy on top of it. But we've got to find out who the best pass protector is, the most consistent pass protector is, and really that's for all five guys up front."

There will be a major microscope on the left tackle position in the coming weeks. Not only at training camp, but also during the joint practices and the preseason games. The real work all starts at training camp, though.

"Camp is very soon on the horizon," Trapilo added. "You can't take that lightly. You can't take a bunch of time off and relax. It's go time."