One of the most intriguing position battles for the Chicago Bears is the starting left tackle position, most notably the battle between veteran Braxton Jones and rookie Ozzy Trapilo.
After Chicago spent much of the offseason rebuilding the interior of the offensive line with the additions of Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, and Joe Thuney, the left tackle spot remains the biggest question mark of the group, and the competition is heavy.
On Friday, head coach Ben Johnson discussed the battle at left tackle and made it clear “we’re not in a rush to make this decision.” He discussed the importance of joint practices and preseason games factoring into a decision.
While the Bears starters won’t play in Sunday’s preseason game against the Dolphins, Johnson said those contending for the left tackle job will. So expect to see plenty of Jones and Trapilo, as well as Theo Benedet, who’s getting reps in place of an injured Kiran Amegadjie.
“We’ll end up having Braxton, Ozzy, Theo [Benedet], all those guys will kind of be cycling through throughout that game,” Johnson said. “They’ll get the workload really on both sides.”
Jones has been a respectable starter for the Bears over the past couple seasons, but with Chicago using a second round pick on Trapilo, the competition became wide open at left tackle. Now, with the live game action starting, it’s up to Jones and Trapilo to make their case for the starting job.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson going to take his time with left tackle battle
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
