Chicago Bears left tackle battle takes another turn at minicamp

With Braxton Jones out until training camp, Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie have been splitting reps at left tackle throughout the offseason program. At Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp session, the battle took a precarious turn in one direction.

Until Jones is fully in the mix, it’s fair to call either the true left tackle favorite. However, how Trapilo and Amegadjie perform with the spotlight on them will go a long way in earning opportunities throughout the season.

Tuesday was Amegadjie’s turn to work with the starters. He struggled at times, even giving up a sack to Montez Sweat, via Clay Harbor of the Chicago Sports Network. On the flip side, Trapilo reportedly excelled with the second unit.

Kiran Amegadjie starting LT today. Up in down day saw one probable sack given up to Montez Sweat.

Ozzy Trapilo solid day running with the 2’s. #DaBears #Bears

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) June 3, 2025

The battle is far from over and Trapilo could always struggle on Wednesday. But the fact Amegadjie gave up a sack to Sweat is telling based on Johnson’s comments on the left tackle battle after practice, via the team’s press conference on X, formerly Twitter.

“The No. 1 job of an offensive tackle, doesn’t matter if it’s right or left, is to pass protect,” Johnson said. “So you need to be able to block their best pass rusher one-on-one. To me that’s the No. 1 job. Everything we can get out of the run game from them will be gravy on top of it. We’ve got to find who the best pass protector is, who the most consistent pass protector is. Really that’s for all five guys up front.”

Coach Johnson is speaking with the media https://t.co/FA3w5T9EJw

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 3, 2025

Chicago Bears left tackle battle

Who ends up being the Week 1 left tackle will likely be decided in training camp. Johnson came to the Bears with a “no depth chart,” mentality, meaning it’s hard to declare who the favorite would be. Chicago’s head coach has kept his findings in the left tackle battle close to the vest.

“It’s an ongoing process. Hard to jump to any conclusions just yet, especially at that position where you really can’t be judged until you have pads on,” Johnson said. “Both guys are taking turns and they’re making the most of their opportunities. I think the head is still spinning for almost everybody on offense but certainly in the O-line room. We’ve got a lot of new things we’re throwing at them.”

Johnson has been impressed with what he has seen from Trapilo and Amegadjie overall, though. The former is a second-round rookie while the later was selected in the third-round a year prior. Using valuable draft capital on both, Chicago is hoping Trapilo and Amegadjie both at least prove they can start if called upon. So far, the tackle prospects have done all that has been asked of them throughout the offseason program.

“Ozzy, for a guy that’s a young player, he’s really polished in terms of the mental aspect of the game,” Johnson said. “We’re looking to key up some things, quicken up his steps, his identification process. Kiran has done a nice job for the little bit that we’ve had him as well just the growth prospect. So far so good.”

Both Trapilo and Amegadjie will be heavily monitored throughout minicamp and the entire offseason program. Continuously struggling against Sweat and the other top Bears pass rushers will only push either option further down the depth chart.

Don’t forget about Braxton Jones

With Jones sidelined, he has become a forgotten man in the left tackle battle. Injuries have dampened the offensive tackles recent career, as an ankle injury limited him to just 12 games. He played in just 11 a year prior. Ultimately, Jones needs to be on the field for him to be in the offensive line discussion.

But when he was healthy, Jones showed signs of true strength in 2024. His 77.4 grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 20/140 tackles. Furthermore, he excelled in pass blocking, ranking 17/140 with his 80.8 grade.

Entering the 2025 campaign, PFF ranked Jones as the 25th best tackle in all of football. Surprisingly, he was one spot higher than his right tackle teammate Darnell Wright.

“The former fifth-round pick battled multiple injuries and missed significant time as he played a career-low 719 snaps in 2024,” Zoltan Buday wrote.

“However, when Jones was on the field, he played the best football of his career to date,” he continued. “His 80.8 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked 17th at the position, was a career high, and he allowed a pressure on a career-low 6.4% of pass plays.”

How Jones responds after his season-ending injury will determine if he will remain the starting left tackle. But if Trapilo and Amegadjie prove to be strong fits in Ben Johnson’s new offense, Jones could be displaced.