The loss of Ozzy Trapilo to start the 2026 season is certainly going to be felt on the Chicago Bears' offensive line after losing him to an injury in the playoffs.
Now the Bears are left scrambling during the offseason to find a new left tackle and try to replace one of the big surprises of the 2025 rookie class. The team already went to work on retaining someone who could end up being the starter.
The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain reported that the Bears have signed offensive tackle Theo Benedet to a one-year, $1 million contract for the 2026 season. Benedet was an exclusive rights free agent going into the offseason, which gave the Bears the first shot at signing him to a one-year minimum deal to keep him around without any other going after him in free agency.
Quick Bears roster note: Theo Benedet, who was an ERFA, is signed for 2026 (one year, $1M).
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) February 5, 2026
Benedet, a college RT, had never played a snap at LT before training camp. Started 8 games. Finished 4th in ESPN's run block win rate among OTs. Now gets a full offseason to train at LT.
Theo Benedet is back for 2026 and could fill in at left tackle
Long game: Benedet came in to replace Braxton Jones at left tackle after their bye week during the 2025 season and held the job, making eight starts before losing it to Trapilo. Benedet finished the season allowing 26 pressures, two sacks, and one quarterback hit in 333 pass block snaps. He also committed seven penalties in the year.
Pro Football Focus graded Benedet out at a 57.1 overall, ranking him 73rd out of 89 offensive tackles in the NFL. He also had a 54.9 pass blocking grade (75th out of 89) and a 65.7 run blocking grade (45th out of 89).
Bringing Benedet back was essential for the Bears as he can do a lot for this franchise. He played left and right tackle last season, with most of his snaps being at left tackle.
The other big offseason question will be whether Jones is brought back, as he is a free agent. There is a strong chance he could with Trapilo's injury, but the Bears could look for another option in free agency that has a more reliable starter who can step in for one year.
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Bears fans will be happy to have Benedet back, even if he wasn't perfect last season. With a full offseason to train as a left tackle, that could be the difference in making him a solid starter for the team from the Windy City in 2026.