Bears' hole at left tackle not getting any smaller

"Trust Ben Johnson" has been the theme of Bears training camp. But even if Vince Lombardi is coaching the Bears, playing musical chairs on the offensive line three weeks into training camp — particularly at the open left tackle position — is probably a red flag.

The three-way battle at left tackle to open training camp looked more like a three-ring circus on Wednesday, with second-year undrafted free agent Theo Benedet getting some first-team reps in 11-on-11 drills — joining incumbent Braxton Jones, rookie second-round draft pick Ozzy Trapilo and presumably 2024 third-round draft pick Kiran Amegadjie in the competition to start at left tackle.

You needed a scorecard to keep track of all the movement. Jones took reps at left tackle with the first team, second team and third team in 11-on-11 drills, according to reporters in attendance. Benedet and Trapilo took reps with the second team. And Trapilo took reps at right tackle with the second team (behind starter Darnell Wright) at one point. Amegadjie, seemingly eliminated from the starting competition after missing time with a leg injury, took third-team reps in team drills.

Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar seemed to indicate that Benedet earned the opportunity to join the competition when he spoke to reporters before practice. "There's a lot of things to really like about Theo," Roushar said. "He's had probably as much improvement as any player we have in the group. ... He has put himself in a position to compete for a job somewhere in this group."

That might be true, but Benedet's promotion is more likely a sign of dissatisfaction with Jones and Trapilo than a reflection of Benedet's improvement. The Bears wanted their re-constituted offensive line settled sooner rather than later in training camp and the preseason. General manager Ryan Poles stated as much in the offseason after continuity issues on the line helped undercut the rebuild through Poles' first three seasons — and played a part in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams getting sacked a league-high 68 times last season.

Jones is a three-year starter. Trapilo is a second-round draft pick (No 56). Though Jones is coming off ankle surgery that forced him to miss most of the offseason program, and Trapilo is a rookie, it's a little surprising that neither of them has taken a foothold on the job. Adding Benedet to the competition only complicates a matter that should have been simplified from the start. With Jones coming off surgery, it seemed like Trapilo's job to lose entering training camp, but he obviously hasn't been able to

"Regardless of it being Ozzy or any other guy, right now we have to have somebody established to be clearly better. And that's what we're working for," Roushar said. "Looking for improvement every day and just seeing what our best five are gonna be when we kick it off."

The hole at left tackle adds more intrigue to Sunday night's preseason game against the Bills at Soldier Field. Johnson announced Wednesday that all starters would play, even with a joint practice against the Bills on Friday at Halas Hall. That gives Johnson and Roushar two opportunities to find a winner at left tackle, because the process gets accelerated after Sunday — with the preseason finale on Aug. 22 against the Chiefs usually a showcase for reserves, and Week 1 just 10 days after that.

That said, Johnson has been pretty straight in dealing with all issues throughout camp and is not panicky about the unsettled left tackle position. He knows how important his offensive line is to establishing the run game he needs to give Williams a chance to learn his offense on the fly.

"It's just another step along the way," Johnson said last week. "We're not in a rush to make this decision. We're going to go as long as we need to go to feel like we're making the best possible decision for our best five to be out there."

---