Ben Johnson says the quiet part out loud about Theo Benedet's shot at starting

The twists and turns of the Chicago Bears' left tackle position battle at training camp have been fascinating to monitor. Bears head coach Ben Johnson addressed where the battle is at this point.

Before Friday's practice, Johnson responded to a question about Ozzy Trapilo playing on the right side instead of at left tackle, where he has been battling. Johnson acknowledged that's where Trapilo feels more natural since he used to play at right tackle in college at Boston College.

Johnson was also asked where former undrafted rookie Theo Benedet falls in the position battle, having just joined it on Wednesday. Benedet got praised by his head coach as he appears to be in the competition.

"I think he's right in the middle of it. I've been very, very excited about Theo, both what he has done on the right and the left side. He was probably overlooked to start this competition, but the long this things gone on, there's a strong argument for what he's put on tape."

Johnson also acknowledged that if nothing is decided by the end of training camp, they'll go with whoever is playing better at the time and could continue to evaluate the position on a week-by-week basis, potentially into the bye week and beyond. He did say they will not be rotating left tackles during one game, as there will be a clear starter each contest.

Good or bad sign with Benedet in the race for Bears' starting left tackle job?

That was some high praise from Johnson to talk so highly about Benedet as the legitimate contender for the job. It does show that Trapilo and Braxton Jones have competition and may not be locks to be Week 1 starters.

The 6-foot-7, 304-pound second-year lineman out of the University of British Columbia has proven himself worthy after going undrafted last year and making the Bears' practice squad. Benedet needed time to develop and now has a shot to play and might already be in the 53-man roster.

During the 24-24 tie against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 of the preseason, Jones struggled as he whiffed on a block badly, but Tyson Bagent bailed him out with a beautiful touchdown pass to Maurice Alexander. Trapilo played well, with some believing he put himself in the driver's seat for the left tackle job.

Read more: Bears defender proving at training camp he's done being overlooked

At this point, it's anyone's guess who will start, as the remaining two preseason games are going to be big for the Bears and all three left tackle contenders. Bears fans will have to be patient to see who comes out on top.