Former NFC North rival would feel ‘dirty’ about joining the Bears and Ben Johnson amid Chicago’s uncertainty at left tackle
Former Detroit Lions starting left tackle Taylor Decker remains unsigned in free agency but has already ruled out two options in the NFC North and it’s not news the Chicago Bears wanted to hear.
The left tackle situation for the Chicago Bears continues to look uncertain heading into the 2026 season and even looking further down the road.
General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson didn’t shy away from addressing those concerns last week during the NFL Annual Meeting. As Johnson put it, all options are on the table in the team’s search of a starting option, short and long-term.
One option fans continued to float as a potential solution is former Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, who remains unsigned in free agency. Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network interviewed Decker and mentioned in his article that Johnson reached out to Decker as a sign of support after Decker was released by the Lions.
However, Rogers later shared that joining Johnson in Chicago isn’t an option Decker is considering as he weighs his potential options.
Taylor Decker would feel ‘dirty’ about playing for Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears
“He wants to play for a winner. Yet he’s kind of thinking about, ‘Is it cheap to go win somewhere else after you’ve invested all your energy emotionally and physically into one franchise?’” Rogers further explained on the Lions Collective podcast. “I will tell you that he’s pretty anti-playing for the Bears or Packers. That’s the Lions background in him. I know Ben Johnson did it and that was the right situation for him, but Taylor feels kind of dirty about the idea. It just isn’t interesting to him.”
That’s a mindset Decker likely expressed with Johnson, either directly or indirectly. And it explains why the Bears pivoted to other options in free agency.
Chicago re-signed former fifth-round pick Braxton Jones to a one-year deal and then took a one-year flier on former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. to compete for the starting position in 2026.
Bears have an uncertain plan at the left tackle position going into the 2026 NFL Draft
After adding Jones and Wills to the mix for 2026, the Bears still feel some uncertainty heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Johnson noted Jones looks like a “new man” and Wills is hungry to prove himself after spending a year out of the league to get his body healthy.
“We’re just trying to find the best solutions as possible,” Poles explained. “So when you throw in Braxton, you throw in Jedrick, Theo [Benedet], Kiran [Amegadjie], you have a lot of guys. And there’s some uncertainty because no one’s played at a high level within the last 12 months. But, we’re going to continue to find the best way to put the best five out there.”
Another option is to use the 25th overall pick, or another draft selection, to add another rookie offensive tackle to the mix. Poles already led a scouting party to the Alabama and Arizona State Pro Days to get a look at two top tackle prospects in Kadyn Proctor and Max Iheanachor.
“But even with that, you have a rookie and there’s some uncertainty there too,” Poles added. “I feel like we’re just so used to living in that space where you gotta figure it out and find the best solutions.”
Everything is still on the table, that much hasn’t changed. But, when it comes to Decker being an option to consider, it sounds like he closed that door himself.
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