Bears HC Ben Johnson Gives an Update on the Team's Left Tackle Battle

Just 26 days separate the Chicago Bears from their Week 1 road matchup against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 13. 

Bears head coach Ben Johnson addressed the media before the team's 15th training camp practice of the summer and noted that there "is competiton throughout this roster right now. Offense, defense, special teams it's heating up. I wish there was a little bit more clarity at this points but there's not."

There is still plenty of uncertainty at the starting left tackle position. Braxton Jones returned from injury on Tuesday, and Theo Benedet took reps on the left side instead of right tackle, where he has practiced for a majority of the summer. 

"So as far as I’m concerned, the competition remains wide open and we’ll continue to play that one out," Johnson said. 

Before the practice, Johnson said Jones would get reps with the ones and Benedet would play with the second-team offense, but that's not how it exactly played out in Tuesday's practice. Benedet easily had a majority of the reps at left tackle, especially later in the practice. 

During one of the team situation periods, the first-team offense went against the backup defense, and Jones started at left tackle. Three plays later, Benedet replaced him for the remainder of the offensive series and that also occurred the next time Caleb Williams and the starting offense took the field. 

While Benedet and the rest of the starters were practicing, Jones was on the sideline with the rest of the offensive linemen. Someone who wasn't on the sideline towards the end of practice was former third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie. He got banged up during an 11-on-11 rep while he was at right tackle with the second-team offense. Amegadjie limped off the field and slammed his helmet to the ground. He favored his right leg and walked off under his own power with trainer Andre Tucker. 

Jedricks Wills Jr. practiced exclusively with the backup offense at left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo participated in individuals for the second straight day, but didn't participate in the team periods. 

Johnson said Trapilo has "his own timeline right now."

Given the ongoing uncertainity with the left tackle position, Johnson will likely be asked about Jones and Amegadjie the next time he speaks to the media. 

With several players getting starting rep at left tackle, veteran left guard Joe Thuney has had to grow comfortable with many of his teammates. That's not necessarily the worst outcome, but consistency on the O-line is crucial to constructing a cohesive unit. 

“I think Joe would like some clarity on who he can build a rapport with," Johnson said. "It’s been a little bit of a revolving door. He’s a pro’s pro and he’s willing to do everything, but you want five guys playing as one. So we’ll go as long as we need to to figure out who those five are, but at the same time the sooner we can make that decision the sooner they can gel as a unit as well. You saw it last year. It took us through the bye week before we really started clicking a little bit as an offensive line and the run game coming alive the way we wanted it to. I think he’s doing a great job right now. The communication’s a huge piece of it. With Garrett [Bradbury] at center, I don’t have a whole lot of concern from the communication piece and yet the sooner we can be on the same page without even saying anything the better off we’re going to be.”