EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears are still searching for their starting left tackle 19 days ahead of their season opener at the Carolina Panthers.The biggest position battle at Bears' training camp has been ongoing since the team's first practice on July 29. Just like last year, four players are in the mix between Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills, Jr.And similarly to how things played out in 2025, the Bears do not yet have enough clarity through 17 practices to name their starter."It's a hot spot for us," coach Ben Johnson said. "Obviously, we talk about it almost every time I'm up here, and yet I don't know that we are 100 percent sold on who that guy is going to be for Carolina yet. We're going to still work through it. That's where today's going to be huge for us. Thursday (a joint practice at Tennessee) is going to be huge for us, and Saturday is going to be huge for us as well."Jones has been the frontrunner to land the starting job throughout camp, even with an injury that sidelined him for more than a week. In his absence, the Bears hoped to find roles for Amegadjie and Wills while rotating both with the starting offensive line in practices and during Chicago's preseason opener against Cleveland.That plan changed last week when Johnson announced Amegadjie and Wills would be moving to right tackle with the backup offensive lines and Benedet would enter the mix at left tackle with Jones. In the Bears' second preseason game against the Bengals, Jones started at left tackle and logged 15 snaps while Benedet came in next and played 28 snaps.Since being drafted in the fifth round by Chicago in 2022, Jones has started 44 games at left tackle, including three last season after he was announced the opening-day starter leading into the Bears' season opening loss against Minnesota. He was benched before halftime in Las Vegas in Week 4 and spent 11 weeks on injured reserve with a knee injury.He was replaced by Benedet, who started eight games before being replaced by former second rounder Ozzy Trapilo, who ruptured his patellar tendon in the Bears' wild card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Trapilo has participated in practices for more than a week after being activated off the PUP list far sooner than the team had expected.Johnson said Trapilo is on his "own timeline" after missing all of spring workouts and the majority of training camp. He has only participated in individual drills since returning to practice on Aug. 16.Though Johnson detailed the clarity the Bears still lack at the position, Jones took all the first team reps at left tackle during a two-hour padded practice on Tuesday. Benedet spent time at right tackle with the backup offensive line before he replaced Darnell Wright more than halfway through practice.Wright exited the Bears' red zone period after two run plays with an apparent injury to his right elbow. The All-Pro right tackle went to the sideline where he was evaluated by trainers for roughly five minutes before walking into the building to receive further examination. He did not return.The Bears made Wright the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history on Aug. 4 when he signed a four-year, $116 million extension. Despite playing through an elbow injury suffered in Week 3, Wright earned second-team All-Pro honors and ranked fourth in pass block win rate (95.2%) last season. He also logged the fifth-highest snap count on offense (93.07%).
