The Chicago Bears were expected to be without left tackle Ozzy Trapilo for most of the 2026 season, but it sounds like he’s way ahead of schedule. Not only that, but general manager Ryan Poles hinted that Trapilo could return even earlier than imagined.
In an interview with Hoge & Jahns, Poles said Trapilo could “potentially” return before the end of training camp this month.
“We’ve talked about the different scenarios,” Poles said. “Whether he comes back and has a little bit of training camp, if he comes back in September. I think the big thing for us is padded practices. If you get too far down the line, it gets really hard to get that physical practice that you need to prepare for games.”
Poles’ statement comes shortly after Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer attended Bears training camp on Sunday and noted that Trapilo “might be back sooner than expected.”
Trapilo established himself as Chicago’s starting left tackle in the second half of the 2025 season, but he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the team’s wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. With Trapilo sidelined, the Bears re-signed Braxton Jones and added former first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. to compete for the starting job with Kiran Amegadjie.
If Trapilo is able to return as soon as later this month, it would be huge for Chicago’s offensive line, especially after there was initial concern about Trapilo’s long-term future after the injury back in January. Trapilo showed potential to be the long-term answer at left tackle for the Bears.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears GM Ryan Poles has massive injury update on LT Ozzy Trapilo
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
