With the Chicago Bears a full-go in OTAs, fans can now start following along with the major storylines. One of the bigger ones, at hand, is what exactly is going to happen at left tackle.
In their most recent practice, it was rookie Ozzy Trapilo who lined up with the starters over the likes of last year's third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie. The focus isn't on Amegadjie, though, it's on projected starter Braxton Jones.
With Jones still recovering from surgery to repair a broken ankle he suffered late last season, he had to have known his starting spot was going to be called into question, especially after the Bears drafted Trapilo.
Ozzy Trapilo playing with the starters could be bad news for Braxton Jones and Kiran Amegadjie
When the Bears drafted Amegadjie last year, the thought was that they wanted to provide competition for Jones.
This year, when they drafted Trapilo, the notion was, once again, to provide competition for Jones. It's still early in Amegadjie's career, but I don't think there are many people who see him unseating Jones at this point.
Trapilo, on the other hand? Now that's a possibility.
And that possibility became even more of a reality when the Bears chose to place Trapilo in with the starters, right away, even as a rookie. That says a whole lot about Trapilo.
Is it unfair to say that Jones is already behind the count, here? Of course it is. But, that's the reality of the situation. Jones' injury is paving the way for him to lose his job, and right now, it's the rookie who happens to be in the driver's seat.
With Jones also going into a contract year, it just isn't good timing. This is the way his hand has been dealt, unfortunately, and if Trapilo impresses early on, the Bears might not look back. In developing Caleb Williams, one of the top priorities has to be continuity up front, and if Trapilo gives them just that, then so be it.