There are plenty of spots open on the Chicago Bears to start in 2026, but there is one position battle that everyone is going to be watching.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson, for the second straight season, is going to have a tough decision to make on who will be protecting quarterback Caleb Williams' blind side. Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox agrees, noting that the Bears' biggest position battle is at left tackle.
"Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears had their breakouts in 2025, under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. They'll have an opportunity to replicate their success, but protecting Williams will be a top priority. Unfortunately, starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a ruptured patellar tendon during the playoffs, which could keep him out for much or all of 2026.
With Trapilo out of the picture for the time being, Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, and newcomer Jedrick Wills Jr. represent Chicago's top options at left tackle."
Bears have to decide on left tackle position before the 2026 season
Jones feels like he should be the favorite because he started in Johnson's offensive scheme at the beginning of last year and originally won the left tackle job. While Jones was not the best player for the role at the time, he has shown improvement over the offseason, giving fans reason to believe he could do a better job.
Benedet was the man who replaced Jones earlier in the 2025 campaign and had a nice two-month run at the job before Trapilo took over. The good thing that Benedet did was help the running game explode as a great run blocker, but he struggled mightily in pass protection, which cost him his job.
Wills has plenty of NFL starting experience from his time with the Cleveland Browns. The major disadvantage he has is that he hasn't played football in two years, as he suffered a serious injury in 2024 and decided to sit out last year to continue rehab.
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It feels like the Bears have a clear-cut decision with Jones, but Benedet and Wills are also viable options they shouldn't ignore. The hope is that whoever takes the job will be able to hang on to it the whole year, but if there are struggles, the Bears might try to push to see how soon they can get Trapilo back on the team, or they could turn to free agency for a new replacement like Taylor Decker.
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