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Huge update emerges at Bears' left tackle competition

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 6:04 PM ET

Most of the Chicago Bears' potential starters for 2025 seemed set in stone by the time training camp rolled around. The starting left tackle job, however, was one of training camp's biggest storylines and remains so. It's been a three-way battle between the incumbent starter, Braxton Jones, second-year player Kiran Amegadjie, and rookie Ozzy Trapilo. No starter has yet been named, and head coach Ben Johnson has said that he won't rush a decision.

Now, days after Jones appeared to have lost his grip on the starting left tackle job , Chicago's coaching staff may have just thrown a new hat into the ring. Theo Benedet, an undrafted rookie from 2024, reportedly got reps with the 1's in Wednesday's practice for the first time as a Bear, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

And now it’s Theo Benedet at left tackle in team drills with the ones.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 13, 2025

Benedet, a Canadian, became a fan-favorite in Chicago when he stole the Bears' rookie talent show by singing a stirring rendition of Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA while wearing nothing but a bald eagle Speedo. Oh, and he did that while HBO's "Hard Knocks" cameras were rolling.

Unfortunately for Benedet, a calf injury during the Hall of Fame game cost Benedet his roster spot for the season. But he's back and fully healthy and hungry for more than just a roster spot. Apparently, he's willing to fight for a starting role despite what some might call a surplus of talent ahead of him on the depth chart.

Putting Benedet with the 1's in practice could mean nothing. Braxton Jones played poorly enough on Sunday that O-line coach Dan Roushar called it 'not acceptable', and Trapilo wasn't a whole lot better. For all we know, this was the coaches' way of letting them know that they won't stand for subpar performances, not even in the preseason.

But don't count Benedet out. He's got great size and is a talented player in his own right, talented enough to be selected 15th overall in the 2024 CFL Draft. Whether the coaches meant it this way or not, he's been handed a chance to compete for the starting left tackle job. It's up to him now to either seize his moment or fall back to his spot with the backups.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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