Bears’ latest roster move is about to add even more fire to one of the team’s top roster battles after the first preseason game
The Chicago Bears have activated offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo off the PUP list one day after the team’s preseason opener showed no forward signs in the left tackle battle.
The Chicago Bears are back to work on Sunday, one day after the team’s big win over the Cleveland Browns in the preseason opener, and one key player will be back on the field for the first time at practice and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Ahead of Sunday’s practice, the Bears activated second-year offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo off the PUP list. Trapilo has been recovering from a patellar tendon injury he suffered back in January during the team’s playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.
Earlier in the week, general manager Ryan Poles noted Trapilo was progressing rapidly in his recovery process and the hope was that the team could get him on the field before training camp wrapped up. I don’t think anyone expected Trapilo to be back this soon.
Ozzy Trapilo’s return to practice throws a nice curveball in the team’s left tackle situation
All offseason long, the Bears have been evaluating different options at the left tackle position and hoped to have some clarity this week between practices and the first preseason game. However, things hit a snag when Braxton Jones left practice late last week and was forced to miss Saturday’s game.
In his absence, the Bears rotated Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr. at the position against the Browns, and neither player managed to impress.
“I think that’s a hard one for me to assess right now,” head coach Ben Johnson said of the left tackle battle after the game. “Sometimes that trench play, you have to go ahead and take a look at the lens from behind and really be able to take a look at it. But, as a whole, I would say the offensive line – I felt like our quarterback got hit more than I would like. Tyson certainly did in the first half. And in the second half, we still felt some pressures on [quarterbacks] Case [Keenum] and Miller [Moss]. We’ll look at why that was the case, and then, running game-wise, it was a little spotty, as well. … so hard to say a whole lot about left tackle quite yet.”
The biggest winner of the game in regards to that battle seemed to be Jones, who again didn’t even play. After the game, Johnson did note that the Bears expect to have Jones back soon, and that proved to be true with Jones back out there on Sunday.
Trapilo joined Jones back on the field, but did not participate in team drills. Once he ramps up to that, it will finally give the staff all four options to evaluate. However, the Bears will likely be smart with Trapilo’s usage until he gets his legs back under him.
I’d imagine the Bears would try to get Jones ready to play against the Cincinnati Bengals next weekend along with Amegadjie and Wills and then try to see how Trapilo is looking ahead of the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans. It’s worth noting that the Bears also have joint practices scheduled against both teams, which would give the staff more opportunities to see their options in more one-on-one battles on the edge.
Regardless, having Trapilo back this soon is short of a miracle. He was expected to miss the majority of the 2026-27 season after the injury he suffered and instead he’s back and fully in the mix now for the starting left tackle job at training camp.
