Growing trust in an unlikely starter could allow the Bears move on from an expendable player at the trade deadline

It wasn't pretty and there's still some areas needed to be cleaned up, but the Chicago Bears showed a lot of promised coming out of the bye week with the win over the Washington Commanders.

One of the most notable developments after the game was the play of offensive tackle Theo Benedet. After making his first career start in Week 4 at right tackle, Benedet made the switch over to left tackle and got the nod as the starter in Week 6.

In his first start at the position, Benedet again held up fairly well considering the situation and continues to bring a lot of juice and athleticism to the entire offensive line.

Theo Benedet earns more praise after first career start at left tackle

"Theo, he doesn't bat an eye. Nothing's too big for him," head coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. "And I think that about a lot of guys on this team. They're very clutch where the pressure, for a lot of players it can get to you, [but] it doesn't get to them and they're kind of built for these types of moments. He is in that mold."

That's exactly the kind of mentality you'd want in any player you put on the field and it shows the reason why Benedet continues to be viewed in a positive light by the new coaching staff. After being an undrafted free agent in 2024, Benedet didn't get to see any action during his first season in Chicago and was overlooked coming into the 2025 season.

Yet, as the left tackle battle continued deep into training camp, Benedet's steady improvement caught the eyes of the coaching staff, allowing him to earn the swing tackle role to open the season. This latest jump into the starting lineup at two different positions just proves that trust is continuing to grow and the play is speaking for itself on the field.

On 64 offensive snaps, Benedet allowed just two pressures as the blindside blocker for quarterback Caleb Williams while having some very impressive blocks in the run game against the Commanders.

"He goes out there and gives his best," Williams explained. "That's all you can ask for. He's trying to grow in every single way possible. Many times, Theo has came up to me and said 'I got your back' and those small nuggets, those small notes that he may say, it goes a long way."