The rising cost of the Bears upset of the Packers in Week 18

A perusal of 70 mock drafts in April revealed three main candidates for the Bears' first-round pick: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (18), Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (15) and Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks (14).

As it turned out, only Warren was available at No. 10 among the three. Jeanty went to the Raiders at No. 5. Banks went to the Saints at No. 9 — one pick before the Bears took Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

At that point, any weapon for a Ben Johnson offense was a good draft pick. That the Bears couldn't trade up for Jeanty or Banks was not a big issue. The Bears filled the offensive tackle need with Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo in the second round. That Trapilo's best position was the same as Darnell Wright's best position — right tackle — was not a concern. As with everything else since Johnson was hired, it was all good.

But with the Bears still looking for a starting left tackle in the fourth week of training camp — and Trapilo quickly looking more comfortable at right tackle in practice — missing out on a dedicated left tackle such as Banks is looming larger and larger for Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles.

A three-player competition between incumbent Braxton Jones, Trapilo and 2024 third-round draft pick Kiran Amegadjie has been such a disappointment, the Bears turned to Theo Benedet — a 2024 undrafted free agent from Canada — as a legitimate candidate for the starting job.

"He's right in the middle of it," Johnson told reporters before Friday's joint practice with the Bills. "I've been very, very excited about Theo and what he's done both on the right side and the left side. he was probably overlooked to start this competition, but the longer this thing's gone on, there's a strong argument for what he's put on tape."

The Bears had the option of moving Wright to left tackle and letting Trapilo compete at right tackle. Wright played one season of left tackle at Tennessee but blossomed into a top-10 pick at right tackle in 2022. Trapilo also has experience at left tackle in college (10 starts in 2022), but also blossomed as a high draft pick at right tackle (in 2023 and 2024).

You can't blame the Bears for keeping Wright in his comfort zone. But already, playing Trapilo at left tackle has been problematic. "It's really play speed," Johnson told reporters before Friday's practice. "There are times when the feet have gotten a little bit slow at times, buth in the run game and pass pro. The mental of just speeding up, ball, snap, let's go ahead and get in a good physical position here to block the man in front of me — it's been a little bit of up and down."

And Trapilo already is showing better progress on the right side in practice. "There's no doubt," Johnson said. "That's probably where he's accumulated the most reps the last few years. So there is a comfort level that comes with that. So when I talk about the feet and the speed of the feet, it is faster on the right side."

For what it's worth, Kelvin Banks already is starting at left tackle for the Saints and had an impressive opening preseason game — for whatever that's worth. Still a long way to go there, but at this point it seems like Banks would have provided a little more of the clarity Johnson is looking for at left tackle.

If Loveland becomes the dynamic weapon the Bears envision in Johnson's offense, it might make that regret moot. But right now, with left tackle unsettled a little further into camp than Johnson would have preferred, it's a problem.

Five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, who retired in the offseason, weighed in on Saints rookie Kelvin Banks.

The Johnson era has been a honeymoon so far, with the new head coach eliciting legitimate optimism for the 2025 season. But the current hole at left tackle — and the near-miss with Banks as a possible solution, is a little discomforting, with the specter of typical Bears bad luck: The victory over the Packers in the 2024 Week 18 finale that was so uplifting for the organization, also cost them the draft spot that would have allowed the Bears to take Banks. Not quite like Josh Giddey's half-court buzzer-beater against the Lakers costing the Bulls' Cooper Flagg, but not an unfamiliar lament for Bears fans.

But that's what the Johnson hiring is all about — the proven offensive designer/play-caller the Bears broke the bank to hire being good enough to render regrets that have haunted the Bears in the past as much ado about nothing. The Bears need time to solve the left tackle matter. But at the same time, Sept. 8 can't get here soon enough.

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