The Chicago Bears‘ biggest positional battle heading into the final preseason game has been at left tackle. The ongoing competition has been between Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills Jr., and Kiran Amegadjie.
Head coach Ben Johnson admitted to reporters during the Bears’ joint practice with the Tennessee Titans, “It’s a hot spot for us. Obviously, we talk about it almost every time I’m up here, and yet I don’t know that we are 100% sold on who that guy is going to be for Carolina yet.”
Of the four, Braxton Jones appears to have the edge. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin wrote, “Jones has been seen as the front-runner to land the starting job throughout camp even with an injury that sidelined him for more than a week.”
While the team has kept the exact answer under wraps, it appears that they have a relatively strong indication of how the battle will unfold.
Chicago Bears Offensive Shift Hints At Left Tackle Answer
Khari Thompson of SBNATION noted a shift the Bears made in their offense last week against the Cincinnati Bengals that would reveal the true nature of their decision.
“Veteran tackle Braxton Jones, who re-signed with the Bears this offseason on a one-year deal, has basically been the front-runner at left tackle for the entirety of camp, even after missing some time with injury, and resumed that role against the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend, getting the first 15 snaps at left tackle before giving way to Theo Benedet,” Thompson pointed out.
“One would assume Jones will continue working with the first team this weekend and likely gets the first crack at the job in Week 1. But Jones’ future after that feels far less assured. For one thing, Benedet, a former undrafted tackle, has been playing well this preseason—so much so that he essentially forced the coaching staff to take Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills out of the competition on the left side and have them practice backing up Darnell Wright, who just suffered an injury of his own. If Wright is expected to be okay, one could see both Amegadjie and Wills getting cut, allowing Benedet to play the swing role with Jones starting.”
Wills already seemed to be on the outside looking in, but Amegadjie is a bigger surprise.
Kiran Amegadjie May Be Out Of Opportunities To Prove Himself
“Amegadjie entered the offseason with a real shot at redemption after two brutally disappointing seasons to begin his career after he was announced as a competitor for the left tackle job,” Sports Illustrated’s Mike Moraitis wrote.
“Amegadjie responded with a lackluster showing during the preseason that saw him give up six pressures over 70 snaps during two games, according to Pro Football Focus. What makes his situation even worse, there might be one less tackle spot on the 53-man roster if Ozzy Trapilo can avoid the injured reserve list to begin the season.”
Mike Pendleton of Bears Wire echoed these thoughts, writing, “Having started training camp and the preseason getting reps at left tackle, Amegadjie struggled to break through the position battle and was moved back to a depth piece for right tackle. The fact that the coaches have moved Amegadjie around before the preseason feels like an indicator that he has officially fallen out of favor on the roster.”
The Bears’ final preseason game against the Titans will be many players’ final opportunity to make an impact on the front office. Right now, Chicago’s 2024 third-round pick looks to have an uphill battle to make the final roster.
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