Seeking to solidify Caleb Williams’ blindside, two Bears are honing their craft under a Pro Bowler to solve Chicago’s lingering uncertainty at left tackle.
The Chicago Bears were able to turn things around last year on offense.
The Bears went from one of the worst offenses in the league under former head coach Matt Eberflus to one of the best in the NFL in just one year under Ben Johnson.
A big part of that was Caleb Williams not being sacked as often as he was in his rookie season. Williams went from being the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL to his offensive line only allowing 24, which was the third-fewest in 2025.
Williams thrived, throwing for 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He became the franchise's record holder for single-season passing yards in year two with the Bears.
While the offensive line was miles better than it was in 2024, one position remains a problem.
Center Drew Dalman and left guard Joe Thuney both went to the Pro Bowl, with Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright anchoring the right side of the line. However, the left tackle couldn't maintain any stability.
Braxton Jones was the starter at the beginning of last season but was then benched in favor of Theo Benedet. Benedet lost his job after Week 12 after not being able to play due to an injury.
Ozzy Trapilo stepped in against the Pittsburgh Steelers and impressed. He held down left tackle through the playoffs before suffering an unfortunate patellar injury, and is now expected to miss most of the 2026 season.
It's not ideal for the Bears to have to go through this uncertainty at left tackle again this year, but to the credit of Jones and Benedet, they are getting help from a five-time Pro Bowler this offseason.
The two have been doing offseason training with former New Orleans Saints left tackle Terron Armstead.
On Jones, Armstead revealed that he had high hopes for him. However, while Armstead noted his talent, he acknowledged that injuries have held him back in the past.
"Yeah, I'm excited about Braxton [Jones]. His confidence is growing daily. Super talented, very strong. Physical, smart, tough. All the things. His issue has been durability. It's been injuries, and we all have those challenges throughout our careers. I was probably the most injured player ever. So, it's a part of the game, and it's hard to get through it. It's a lot of mental adversity that you got to battle through. What I've seen from Braxton, and I know of Braxton moving forward, is this is a person that is sure of himself."
Jones was placed on the injured reserve in October of last year due to a knee injury, so his past definitely followed him in 2025. The Bears will need him and Benedet to step up in the wake of Trapilo's injury.
Jones and Benedet both re-signed with the team on short-term deals in hopes that Trapilo can return to his old self when healthy.
For the pair of veteran linemen, this could be a good chance to reset their market values as they are doing everything they can to improve in the offseason.
