The Chicago Bears would love to celebrate the 2025 season, but they already have big problems on the offensive line.
Bears starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo ruptured his patellar tendon in the team's playoff win over the Green Bay Packers, which forced him to get surgery and most likely be out awhile. At the end-of-year press conference, Bears general manager Ryan Poles didn't have a specific timeline but said he expects Trapilo out "deep into next year."
With so much uncertainty at left tackle going into the 2026 season, that's going to force the Bears to look outside in free agency to find a suitable replacement. Who are four candidates in free agency that would be perfect fits for the Bears to fill in at left tackle for Trapilo to start the 2026 season?
Joseph Noteboom
Noteboom was a longtime lineman for the Los Angeles Rams from 2018 through 2024 before playing last season with the Baltimore Ravens. In 88 pass block snaps, he allowed three quarterback hits and one sack. The Bears need a veteran who can step in for the first half of the season, and Noteboom would be able to hold his own for Chicago.
Kelvin Beachum
Beachum is a veteran who has done a great job throughout the years as a starting tackle in the league. He has been playing for the Cardinals over the last five years, but he started to show his age a bit at 36, allowing 48 pressures, five sacks, and three quarterback hits in 451 pass-block snaps. The stats leave a lot to be desired, but he might have a chance to work with a more developed offensive line in Chicago.
D.J. Humphries
Humphries is better known for what he did in Arizona during the first nine years of his NFL career, but has bounced around to winning teams in the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams in the last two seasons. He took only 84 snaps on offense in 2025, but allowed only five pressures and one sack. Humphries would be able to fill in nicely and help the Bears out.
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Cam Robinson
Robinson has been a long-time starter in the NFL for four teams and has done a nice job in all of them. Last year, he spent time with the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, where he struggled, allowing 40 pressures and eight sacks in 472 pass-blocking snaps. Pair Robinson with All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney, and those numbers will not replicate and should be a much better fit in Chicago versus Cleveland.