Chicago Bears Left Tackle Battle Heating Up

Jones is the Early Favorite

Despite being surrounded by change and replacement linemen, Jones has held down the starting LT job for the past three seasons without much doubt. It wasn’t clear until training camp that Jones’ spot was up for grabs. As such, it only makes sense that he’d enter the competition with an edge.

Jones ended his 2024 season early with a fractured fibula, and he’s battled his way back to be available for training camp.

Going from the 5th round of the NFL draft to a week 1 starter is no small task, and Jones’ consistency has been refreshing considering the dysfunction of the line as a whole. In 2024, he gave up 5 sacks and 26 pressures. Still, he hasn’t taken the leap to a franchise caliber tackle, and his smaller stature combined with injury history are cause for concern.

Trapilo Takes the Momentum

As training camp wears on, Ozzy Trapilo’s physicality has begun to stand out. Standing 6’8″ and 316 pounds, he has three inches on Braxton Jones. In camp, he’s impressed with how well he can move with such a large frame.

Trapilo’s size allows him to match up much better than Jones with bigger, more powerful edge rushers, and the NFC North has no shortage of those threats. If Trapilo can become slightly more polished, he appears to have a much higher ceiling than Jones. His combination of strength and agility could be too intriguing to leave on the bench for long.

Preseason Week 1 vs. Miami

Sunday’s preseason opener against the Dolphins appears to be inconclusive. However, it might have been a step in the right direction. While offensive coordinator Declan Doyle maintains that the competition is wide open, he also admits that the position is “starting to become clear.”

Notably, Braxton Jones got the start and stayed with the offense for the first three drives. Unfortunately, his game was marred by one dreadful play.

Since Jones started the game, Trapilo’s reps came largely against the Dolphins’ backups, and the result wasn’t much better. Trapilo posted a PFF grade of 58.3. It remains to be seen if the rookie can make the adjustment to NFL competition in time to earn the job.

Who Will be the Week 1 Starter?

The 2025 Chicago Bears are all about change, and newcomer Ozzy Trapilo is pushing for that change to be at the LT position.

Nonetheless, it would be a shock if he were named as the Week 1 starter. Expect the Bears coaches to lean on Jones’ veteran experience to give the new look offensive line some much-needed stability to begin the year.

That being said, Trapilo clearly possesses the talent and size to be a starting-caliber tackle. If Jones struggles or goes down with an injury, it’s possible Trapilo will take the job and never look back.