Bears face a thin left tackle market and may need to get savvy by targeting these four bargain options
It’ll be a challenge for the Bears to find the ideal stopgap option to protect Caleb Williams’ blindside in 2026.
The Chicago Bears will need to make some big decisions this offseason but the decision the team makes regarding the left tackle position will be the most critical move over the next few months.
It felt like the Bears had a future left tackle in the making in second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo, who was thrown into the fire halfway through the season and largely impressed against elite-caliber competition. However, Trapilo suffered a patellar tendon injury in the team’s wild card game, setting up a long recovery process that could last deep into the 2026 season.
With that being a reality, the Bears need to plan accordingly and look to acquire a stopgap left tackle, considering the only other tackles on the roster heading into the offseason are Darnell Wright and Kiran Amegadjie, although it’s highly likely the Bears bring back Theo Benedet as an option.
Here are four low-cost (under $10 million per year) free agents the Bears could target to compete for the position next season.
Free agent bargain options for the Bears to consider at left tackle
Braxton Jones
This seems like the obvious scenario for all parties involved. Jones’ rookie contract just expired and he’s set to hit the free agent market after being drafted in the fifth-round back in 2022. Jones was the Week 1 starter for the Bears but was pulled from the starting lineup in Week 4 and never appeared the rest of the season.
To Jones’ credit, he missed the majority of last offseason rehabbing from a fractured fibula and never looked fully healthy during those first four games. After being pulled, Jones suffered a knee injury that put him on the injured reserve. After that kind of a season, it’s hard to imagine Jones gets a decent market in free agency. If he’s willing, the best bet for him might be to return to Chicago and show the coaching staff what he can do when he’s fully healthy and then hit the 2027 market.
Cam Robinson
Robinson would be a pricier option to consider after playing out the 2025 season on a one-year, $12 million contract with two different teams (signed by the Houston Texans and later traded to the Cleveland Browns). Robinson allowed eight sacks throughout the entire 2025 season but is a more experienced player with 114 starts under his belt.
With a thin market, an experienced starter like Robinson could get decent money again like he did last offseason. If so, he’d be outside of Chicago’s desired range to shore up the position.
Yosh Nijman
With a revolving door on the offensive line, Nijman got more action than many anticipated during the 2025 season with the Carolina Panthers playing on the final year of his two-year, $8 million contract. Before going to Carolina, Nijman started 22 games with the Green Bay Packers from 2020-2023.
Nijman made two starts at left tackle for the Panthers and was stellar as a run blocker on the left side while allowing zero sacks and 12 pressures in pass protection. He also made five other starts at right tackle allowing two sacks and 16 pressures. Coincidentally, the Panthers are in a similar boat after losing left tackle Ickey Ekwonu to a patellar tendon injury of his own during wild card weekend. The Panthers likely will make their own push to keep Nijman and be their opening day starter.
Josh Jones
When factoring in cost, age, experience, and injury concerns, Josh Jones shapes out to be the best option for the Bears if Braxton Jones opts to hit free agency. After signing with the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year deal, Josh Jones started three games at left tackle allowing three sacks and nine pressures.
Prior to joining Seattle, Jones started 24 games across three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals as a depth player at left tackle, left guard, right guard, and right tackle.
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