Bears reportedly considering a major shakeup on the offensive line going into NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Rams
The Chicago Bears could be mixing up the starting front after losing LT Ozzy Trapilo last week.
The Chicago Bears are getting the final preparations ready to go for Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
Heading into the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t shy away from the challenge the Rams will bring to Soldier Field. While the main storylines involve Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, and the two-headed monster at wide receiver, another player has caught Johnson’s attention.
“[Edge rusher Jared] Verse is one of the more violent edge rushers I’ve seen on tape so far this year,” Johnson said. “He does a great job turning speed into power. He’ll take a tackle and go right down the middle of him and take him right into the lap of the quarterback.”
That’s some mighty high praise for the second-year pass rusher, especially considering the top edge rushers the Bears have faced this season including Myles Garrett. T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, and Maxx Crosby. And it’s not just Verse the Bears need to be worried about on that defensive front.
“The interior, they are relentless,” Johnson added. “They’re not only talented, but the fact they do it play in and play out and don’t take any plays off, that makes it very difficult, because you gotta bring it every single snap. You can’t have any lapses up front, otherwise they’ll make you pay.”
It’s clear Johnson believes the Bears will have their hands full on Sunday up-front and will be a man down on the offensive front after left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a patellar tendon injury last week. The common notion was that the Bears would turn back to Theo Benedet on the blindside to protect quarterback Caleb Williams. But, it appears the Bears are considering a major shakeup instead.
Bears reportedly considering moving Joe Thuney to LT against the Rams
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, two sources believe the Bears “are strongly considering” moving All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle instead of playing Benedet. At left guard, the Bears would have the option of playing Jordan McFadden or rookie Luke Newman.
Thuney has experience at left tackle but hasn’t played the position since last year’s playoff run with the Kansas City Chiefs when the team got into an emergency situation. During that three game postseason run, Thuney allowed just two sacks and 10 pressures protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
“He doesn’t say a word about it,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid explained last January. “He doesn’t complain. That’s a whole different world out there. There’s no security blanket when you’re on that side there on your outside. That’s a tough spot. But he just steps in and goes and never blinks on it.”
For more insight on that decision and how Thuney performed at left tackle, here’s what our A to Z Sports Kansas City beat writer Charles Goldman had to say:
Chiefs fans knew for an extended period in 2024 that Joe Thuney was the best option at left tackle. Really it was just a question of when Andy Reid would make the switch amidst issues with Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris and DJ Humphries. They had confidence in Thuney because he filled in for Orlando Brown Jr. in 2022 against the Bengals when Brown got hurt in warm-ups, and he was really good in that game. He’d been the spot starter at tackle for the Chiefs in a pinch ever since, but the reality is that you probably don’t want him playing there for an extended period. While he’s technically sound, he doesn’t have the length to win consistently. As Kansas City got deeper into the postseason in 2024, the warts of him playing tackle became more and more apparent.
Thuney has been easily Chicago’s top addition after securing him in a trade with the Chiefs during the offseason. He’s been a staple up-front and a reliable pass protector, allowing just 15 pressures and zero sacks during the regular season.
Why the switch up at such a critical point in the season?
The loss of Trapilo last week, to a brutal injury, really made the Bears reevaluate things going into this game. Along with Trapilo, the Bears started three different players at left tackle throughout the regular season with Braxton Jones getting the start for the first four weeks with Benedet starting seven different games at the position.
Jones, who returned from the injured reserve this week, had a short leash to start the season and it was quickly pulled to insert Benedet on the left side. Benedet offered some nice athleticism in the run game, but struggled in pass protection, allowing two sacks and 26 total pressures.
“We’ve got tackles that have played a number of snaps over the course of the season, so your comfort level does go up,” Johnson said on Monday. “There’s a reason why Theo was out there, though. We felt really good about the ball that he was playing there the second-half of the season. It’s another one of those stories where it’ll be next man up for us… Theo, if it’s his number that’s called upon, will be ready to go.”
The closer things got to Sunday, that tone has seemingly changed. In a win-or-go-home game against a top pass rush unit, the Bears want the best starting five possible to combat that unit. If Thuney indeed slides back into left tackle for another emergency playoff situation, the decision at left guard will be worth monitoring.
Newman (16) and McFadden (1) have played a total of 17 pass blocking snaps this season. Johnson seems to be going for upside over experience and we’ll see if it pays off for his offense.
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