If things had gone totally according to plan for the Chicago Bears, Ozzy Trapilo would be their Week 1 starter at left tackle after taking hold of the job late last season. But the injury Gods interfered when he suffered a torn patellar tendon in the Wild Card Round win over the Green Bay Packers.
Trapilo has made a faster-than-expected return to practice as he works his way back from that injury. However, he is not a realistic option to play Week 1, and the Bears will not rush him into action.
By this point in August, everyone hoped the Bears would clearly and confidently know who their starting left tackle for Week 1 would be, and until Trapilo is ready, he is. But Braxton Jones is in line to be the guy mostly by default, since no one else has been able to threaten his place at the top of the depth chart.
If Bears fans were to list their concerns for the team right now, this side of the defense, left tackle, would be No. 1. It might be No. 1 even including regard for the defense.
Bears' analyst makes effort to quell concerns about the left tackle situation
Bears analyst Clay Harbor filled in as a co-host on 104.3 The Score's morning show Monday.
Of course, the Bears' left tackle situation is top of mind after the showing Jones et al. had against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second preseason game. On the general discussion topic of one thing to fix about the Bears before Week 1, that would be the one for a lot of fans and followers.
So Harbor probably stands alone on the hill genuinely trying to quell those concerns.
"You can play left tackle like that and beat the Carolina Panthers (in Week 1), because they did last year", Harbor said. "Let's not forget Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet played the majority of the snaps at left tackle last year."
"Theo Benedet during his starts, was 5-2. Braxton Jones, during his starts, was 3-2. You won games with these guys at left tackle."
Harbor acknowledged how Jones, Benedet, etc. aren't high-end left tackle options, but it's possible to offer blocking help and scheme the offense around that shortcoming. If anyone can scheme around a weakness in an offense, it's Ben Johnson.
"That's why left tackle doesn't matter. Ben Johnson is going to be able to scheme for that," Harbor said.
Jones actually only started four games at left tackle last season, and the Bears were 2-2 in those games. Benedet did start seven games at left tackle, and the Bears were 5-2 in those games. But Harbor's overall point stands, even if he stretched to say, however facetiously, "left tackle doesn't matter."
Read more: Bears may have to pull an emergency lever at left tackle after Bengals game
It's not easy, but it is possible to overcome not having a left tackle who'd rank in the top half of the league at the position and have a highly functional offense. The proof of that is in last year's pudding for the Bears, and it can surely be done again until Trapilo is deemed ready to go.
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