Head Coach Reveals Why Bears Will Wait For Ozzy Trapilo Vs. Chasing A New LT
The Chicago Bears face a dilemma heading into the 2026 offseason. They have no left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo tore his patella in the wild card win over Green Bay, leaving his status for next season in doubt. Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet are free agents. The team has no clear starter for opening day. That leaves a difficult question for GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson. Do they seek a temporary stand-in at the position who can hold things together until Trapilo gets back, or do they go hunting for a long-term solution?
It is a complicated discussion. Chicago doesn’t have a ton of spending money and holds the 25th pick in the draft. That isn’t a hot spot for finding left tackles in the draft. Still, Trapilo’s injury leaves his career in limbo. It’s never known how a player will recover from a patella tear. Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien seems to think Trapilo is worth waiting for. He told Taylor Doll on 2nd City Gridiron that the young tackle has every tool needed to be a great starter in the NFL.
To say nothing of how well he fits Johnson’s offense.
Ozzy Trapilo was playing great before the injury.
Despite his inexperience, he was maturing rapidly in his role at left tackle. The pass protection was steady, and he was even making headway in the run game, which hadn’t been his strength. Offensive line coach Dan Roushar felt the one thing separating him from reaching his potential was improved lower-body strength. This coming offseason would’ve been spent improving that. Such plans must be put on hold until Trapilo’s rehab process is complete, which will likely take until weeks into the regular season.
The truth is, Chicago isn’t in a great spot to go chasing a left tackle. They don’t have the money or draft position. A far more sensible approach is to find a reliable veteran who can start 6-8 games while Ozzy Trapilo gets back to full strength. Then he can pick up where he left off this season. O’Brien is correct. The rookie is talented enough to deserve a grace period. We already saw signs of what he could be in December and January. No reason to abandon ship this early.