OTAs are around the corner for the Chicago Bears, and there is still a lot that needs to be decided with the roster and depth chart before they open the 2026 season against the Carolina Panthers.
After the offensive line became a strength of the team by the end of the season, it has all of a sudden brought up way more questions than there should have been. Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame looked at every NFC team's biggest roster decision going into OTAs, and for the Bears, all eyes are on the center and left tackle positions.
"(Drew) Dalman shocked the team by retiring in March at age 27. Without Dalman, the Bears signed veteran Garrett Bradbury and drafted Iowa’s Logan Jones in the second round. While Bradbury has 105 starts over seven years, he struggled with consistency in Minnesota and New England. Last year, he ranked 21st among 26 centers with at least 800 snaps, earning a 59.8 grade from PFF. As for Jones, he was a six-year collegiate athlete who started 51 games at center and won the Rimington Award as the nation’s best in 2025.
On the left side, Chicago is trying to figure things out with second-year man Ozzy Trapilo sidelined. Trapilo started the final six regular-season games as a rookie but is likely out for most (or all) of the season with a torn patellar tendon sustained against the Packers in the wild-card round.Â
In Trapilo’s stead, veteran Braxton Jones and free-agent signing Jedrick Wills Jr. are the top options. Jones is the favorite after starting 44 games over the past four years in Chicago, but if Wills is healthy after missing all of 2025 with a knee injury, he could provide competition. Only 27, Wills has 57 career starts. He’s the wild card in camp for Chicago."
Bears must decide what is going to be done at left tackle and center in 2026
It certainly feels like, for the second straight training camp, Jones has to be the favorite to win the left tackle job, but as Bears fans saw last year, he lost his job early in the season. That might have been because of injury, but it was bound to happen that Theo Benedet was going to take over.
Verderame never brought up Benedet as an option at left tackle, but don't sleep on the idea that he could win the job. He was a great run blocker last year, though he struggled in pass protection.
There's a lot more debate about the center position, as it feels like Bradbury should win the job since he is the veteran, and the Bears probably don't want to rush Jones on the field. A lot can change in training camp and preseason, though: if Jones performs well, there's a good chance that plan gets rushed in Year 1 and they just throw him in the lineup.
Read more: Bears' new stadium drama adds a whole new level of frustration for Chicago
It's a shame there are so many questions on the line after such improvement in 2025. Those two decisions, though, are massive for the Bears, as they could make or break a potential Super Bowl run in the upcoming 2026 season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google