The Chicago Bears are getting some much needed upgrades and depth in the trenches.
Offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo was activated from the PUP list after being sidelined for seven months with a ruptured patellar tendon that he sustained in the wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers. The former second-round draft pick from Boston College participated in individual drills on Sunday.
The Bears also signed defensive end Marcus Davenport – a former No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound defensive end spent five seasons with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen while the two were in New Orleans. Davenport had the best season of his career in 2021 – registering nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits.
Although he has the ideal size and familiarity, injuries have severely impacted Davenport's career. He's missed 56 games over eight years.
Bears getting much-needed help in the trenches before the 2026 season
Both these additions come at a perfect time for Chicago. The Bears have two joint practices and preseason games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans left this summer, giving Trapilo and Davenport plenty of opportunities to impress the coaching staff.
General manager Ryan Poles joined the "Hoge & Jahns" podcast recently and highlighted the importance of seeing Trapilo in padded practices. Well, if he is healthy and cleared to participate, the Bears’ left tackle will get meaningful reps against the Bengals and Titans in a controlled environment, which should show Poles and head coach Ben Johnson everything they need to see from Trapilo.
The Bears still have a battle for the starting left tackle spot. Braxton Jones was the leading candidate before he was injured, but he should be back “within this week,” as Johnson said in his postgame press conference after the 34-10 win over the Browns.
You can apply the same logic to Davenport, who played only nine games for the Detroit Lions last season because of a chest injury. He finished with one sack and 14 total tackles. The Bears need to see how he can help the depth on the defensive line. If he can win one-on-one matchups in the joint practices and preseason games, that would provide some evidence that Davenport can still become a contributor.
The defense needs all the help it can get when it comes to applying pressure. Davenport could help.
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Would the Bears ideally like to have their starting left tackle and pass rush solidified at this point? Probably. But now two new players are in the mix who could give Chicago more clarity in the trenches.
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