It took one OTA practice for Bears rookie to steal first-team reps

One of the biggest questions Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson will have to answer early at the team's training camp next month is who is going to be protector quarterback Caleb Williams' blind side.

Last year, left tackle Braxton Jones was holding that position strong through 12 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Detroit Lions in December. Jones has been recovering from his surgery and is expected to return for training camp, although he will be limited.

The injury could open the door for one of Jones' young backups to steal the job away. One of those who has been focused on winning the job is rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo.

Trapilo has a shot to win the starting left tackle job for Chicago

Chicago completed the second day of the final week of OTAs, which mainly consists of rookies, along with Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze. Trapilo had a chance to speak to the media after the workout as he shared what he learned during these offseason workouts with the team.

“The pads aren’t on yet, so there’s still a lot to be found out. But I’d say the speed of the game. You kind of understand that coming in. It’s faster, just overall, everything about it. So, yeah, getting to experience that throughout these last few weeks have been really beneficial.”

Trapilo impressed scouts coming out of Boston College with his massive size and versatility. The six-foot, eight-inch lineman started at both left and right tackle during his college years and was an All-ACC selection twice in his last two seasons with the Eagles.

He graded well among the rest of the tackles in the draft, as NFL Next Gen stats had him as the 13th highest overall grade among the offensive tackles at the NFL Combine with 73. His athleticism score was a 75, which ranked him 12th among his peers.

Trapilo and second-year lineman Kiran Amegadjie have been splitting first-team reps while Jones is still recovering from his injury. The extra team on the first-team reps for Trapilo and Amegadjie could give them the edge entering training camp.

Read more: Colston Loveland definitively responds to returning in time for training camp

Chicago used a second-round draft pick on the most position in football, so Trapilo is being looked at to start potentially. He seems to be on the right path as his sheer size itself is enough for Bears fans to get excited about him protecting Williams who was sacked an NFL-high 68 times in 2024.

Training camp is where everything will be decided, and Trapilo seems to have every intention of taking the left tackle job. Someone has to impress, as the future of the franchise is leaning on better offensive line play in 2025.