List the most important positions on a football team, and left tackle might come in second behind quarterback. The Chicago Bears are going through a second straight training camp and preseason with a battle for the starting spot there, and the same uncertainty that existed a year ago exists now.
Braxton Jones has been the favorite to be the Week 1 starter all along, and no one managed to overtake him when he missed time due to injury earlier in camp. Ozzy Trapilo has made an early return to practice after suffering a torn patellar tendon in last year's playoffs, but he's not an option for Week 1 and likely not for a few weeks beyond.
Heading into the second preseason game, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie were essentially removed from the competition when they both moved to getting work at right tackle. While both still saw action on the left side against the Cincinnati Bengals, it reeked of needing to get through a preseason game more than any re-expansion of the competition.
The final week of the preseason ideally would not be necessary for a position battle of such importance to have a clear resolution, but that's where the Bears are at left tackle.
Ben Johnson is begging for someone to assert himself in Bears' LT competition
Speaking to the media before their first practice of the week, Johnson was, of course, asked about the left tackle situation.
"That's still an ongoing spot. It’s a hot spot for us", Johnson said."Obviously we talk about it almost every time I'm up here. And yet, I don't know that we are 100 percent sold on who that guy's gonna be for Carolina (in Week 1) yet."
"We're gonna still work through it. That's where today's gonna be huge for us. Thursday's (joint practice against the Tennessee Titans) gonna be huge for us. And Saturday's gonna be huge for us as well."
During Tuesday's practice, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Jones was the first team left tackle while Wills took the second team reps. Theo Benedet, who had been the other fully healthy man left standing in the left tackle competition, worked as the second team right tackle in deference to his likely role as the swing tackle off the bench.
Read more: Bears analyst efforts to quell easy concerns about the left tackle situation
Whoever the Bears' Week 1 starter at left tackle is, thankfully, is now only keeping the seat warm until Trapilo is ready. But it would be nice to see someone assert himself, and Johnson's ongoing diplomacy has to be masking a lot of frustration.
Add us as a preferred source on Google