INDIANAPOLIS – Four of five starters from a stellar offensive line that helped the Bears win the NFC North this past season will return in 2026.
The only question is who will step in at left tackle and join left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman, right guard Jonah Jackson and right tackle Darnell Wright.
Rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo became the starting left tackle in mid-November and excelled over the second half of the season. But he sustained a serious knee injury in the Bears' wild card win over the Packers that general manager Ryan Poles revealed this week at the NFL Combine will force him to "miss most of the year."
The Bears could seek a replacement in free agency or the draft. They could also elevate a player already on their roster. Braxton Jones, who started the first four games last year after manning the position during his first three NFL seasons from 2022-24, is due to become a free agent. Other in-house options include Theo Benedet, who made six starts at left tackle last year, and Kiran Amegadjie.
"That's a unique situation for us," Poles said. "We're trying to determine how to fill that space with what we have. I know we want to keep Darnell and Jonah together; we have a real cool right side. So, then there's the draft. There's free agency, some options in free agency, re-signing your own and then you have Theo's development. And we've yet to put a whole offseason together with Kiran, but he has shown promise at times."
Thuney isn't being considered as a long-term answer at left tackle, although he started at that position in the Bears' divisional playoff game versus the Rams. He was named the inaugural "Protector of the Year" as the NFL's best offensive lineman for his performance at left guard last season and will remain there in 2026.
Poles anticipates there will be a potential starting left tackle still on the board when the Bears select at No. 25 in the first round of the draft.
"Yeah, I think the tackle position is pretty healthy this year," he said. "Not sure; sometimes there are years where there's a run, where they're all gone, where there's a lot of them. Sometimes there are a couple of guys who are sitting there waiting for you. So, we'll see how it shakes out."
As far as Trapilo, Poles acknowledged the serious nature of his injury but does not believe it is career-ending.
"He'll miss most of the year, but we expect him to come back and heal from that," Poles said. "There's a plan in place. I can't give it a timeline or anything like that. I just don't know. But yeah, we're expecting him to be back and be himself. Pretty significant injury that he's got to get through. But in terms of affecting his overall career or next year (2027), I don't see that being an issue."
