It was a long and winding road to get here, but it turns out that the Chicago Bears will begin the 2026 campaign at left tackle the exact same way they did last season — with Braxton Jones in the starting lineup.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported the news via X on Tuesday, September 8, five days before the team’s Week 1 road showdown against the Carolina Panthers.
“Braxton Jones has officially been named the Bears starting left tackle,” Cronin wrote.
Jones, a fifth-year NFL veteran who has spent his entire career in Chicago, won the job over Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr.
Amegadjie, a third-round pick of the Bears in 2024 (No. 75 overall) failed to make the roster this summer but signed on with the Philadelphia Eagles‘ practice squad following Chicago’s decision to cut him.
The Bears also released Wills, a former top 10 pick of the Cleveland Browns, who landed on the Buffalo Bills‘ practice squad.
Ozzy Trapilo Likely to Take Over for Braxton Jones Inside 1 Month
Theo Benedet was also part of the competition. And while the third-year offensive tackle made the 53-man roster in Chicago, he will serve as the swing tackle for as long as Ozzy Trapilo remains sidelined.
At that point, Benedet will slide into the backup role behind All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright and Jones will likely move into the LT2 spot behind Trapilo.
Trapilo, a second-round pick in 2025, claimed the starting job down the stretch of last season and into the playoffs where he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his knee.
That injury was supposed to keep him out until near the end of the 2026 campaign, but Trapilo responded more quickly than anyone thought. He does not currently have an injury designation, which means the team likely expects Trapilo to be healthy enough and ready to start by Week 4 at the latest, if not earlier.
Trapilo took the job from Benedet, who outplayed Jones earlier in the year and sent him to the bench. Injuries kept Jones there as his contract year played out.
However, Trapilo’s injury and the uncertainty around Benedet led the Bears to bring Jones back on a one-year deal worth $5 million, which is well below market value for starting left tackles around the league.
Bears Offensive Line May Prove Shaky to Begin Regular Season
The left tackle position is obviously critical for pass protection, particularly with a right-handed quarterback in Caleb Williams under center.
Williams took a big leap last season, his second in the league and first under Ben Johnson, and may do so again this year.
However, the run game is Johnson’s calling card, particularly explosive plays on the ground. There are legitimate questions about how smoothly the offense will run with Jones bookending the left side of the offensive line, though Trapilo’s return trajectory is a strong omen for a good season.
The Bears also lost starting center Drew Dalman, a Pro Bowler in 2025, to unexpected early retirement this offseason. The team traded for Garrett Bradbury, who will start the year in that spot, and also drafted Logan Jones out of Iowa in the second round.
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