Who knew that one decision made by Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson before the ball was even kicked off against the Detroit Lions on Sunday would have dire consequences? Maybe not in the game, but for the future.
Before kickoff, Johnson and the Bears announced their six inactive players for the game. The interesting part is that Chicago ended up having two healthy scratches for the game: rookie second-round pick offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and 2024 third-round pick offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie.
Turns out that at least Trapilo could have been used in the game as the Bears got throttled by the Lions 52-21 on Sunday. Chicago's offensive line allowed 12 quarterback pressures, four quarterback hits, and four sacks in the loss.
Why Johnson's mistake of making Trapilo inactive hurt the Bears in more than one way
For one, it could have been a good experience for Trapilo to get out there on the field. The starters were pulled about halfway through the fourth quarter, and those reps could have been beneficial for Trapilo to get.
Additionally, neither Darnell Wright nor Braxton Jones performed well in that game. It was clear as day that Wright and Jones were getting beaten up pretty good by the Lions' defensive line. Aidan Hutchinson made Jones miserable as the Lions' star edge rusher got five of the 12 pressures on Sunday.
The Bears want to see Trapilo in the NFL and not rush him. It was part of the reason that at the end of training camp, he got pulled from the starting left tackle position battle and was instead worked as a swing tackle.
Right now, the offensive line is not working for the Bears despite the heavy investment that was made in it in the offseason. Wright and Jones were the only starters from last year who returned, but they have struggled with either penalties or getting beaten by speed on the outside.
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For the future, Johnson needs to keep Trapilo active and give him playing time whenever possible. The Bears drafted him in the second round to be the future starter on the line. They need to let him loose and give him a chance, because the primary options aren't working well right now.