Bears ‘optimistic’ on Trapilo’s (knee) return

Trapilo went down with a torn patellar tendon against the Packers in the Wild Card round last season. Bears GM Ryan Poles initially said he would be out “deep into next year.” Trapilo has made a remarkable recovery and has a shot to suit up this week. Even if he isn’t quite ready, the Bears should have their starting left tackle back early in the season. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent (back) is also questionable for Week 1.

Trapilo even resumed practicing today. This is quite an accomplishment. Trapilo suffered a season-ending patellar tendon rupture in the Bears’ Wild Card Round win over the Packers last year. He was expected to be sidelined “deep into next year,’ per general manager Ryan Poles, but Trapilo’s recovery has apparently gone very well. Trapilo proved himself as a capable pass protector and run blocker. He may need a while to ramp up, but the Bears are currently hosting a competition for the left tackle job. Veteran OT Braxton Jones has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, but coach Ben Johnson recently said he could resume practicing this week. He got in one limited session last week.

Trapilo suffered a torn patellar tendon against the Packers in the Wild Card round. Theo Benedet will likely be the fill-in to start the season unless the Bears want to restructure some contracts against the cap to add a depth piece they’d prefer to Benedet.

Starting LT Ozzy Trapilo ruptured his patellar tendon in the Bears’ Wild Card win over the Packers, ending his season. Jones has not yet been officially activated from injured reserve, but his full practice participation is a good sign. If activated, he will compete with OL Theo Benedet, who manned the left tackle spot earlier this season.

The second-round rookie didn’t see much action early in the year but took over as the team’s starting left tackle in Week 12. He has held down that job ever since. Pro Football Focus has him graded as a top-40 tackle this year. Theo Benedet took his spot in the lineup late in Saturday’s game. He will presumably start in the Divisional Round.

The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs said Wright “came up awkward in the final period,” indicating Wright got banged up while taking a tumble. Hopefully, he returns quickly, without issue. OTs Braxton Jones and Ozzy Trapilo are competing for the Bears’ left tackle role. One of them could potentially shift to the right side, if need be.

The Bears have now signed two of their three second-round picks, having kicked things off by signing DT Shemar Turner earlier today. Luther Burden remains the team’s only unsigned second-round pick. Trapilo will compete with incumbent OT Braxton Jones for the starting left tackle job. Jones has been recovering from ankle surgery and is expected to participate in the Bears’ training camp.

Jones has been sidelined since undergoing surgery for the fractured ankle he suffered in Week 16 last year. Second-round rookie OT Ozzy Trapilo and 2024 third-round OT Kiran Amegadjie have been competing at left tackle during the team’s mandatory minicamp, though the Bears will allow all three to compete for the role in training camp. Head coach Ben Johnson stated the obvious by saying, “the No. 1 job of an offensive tackle, doesn’t matter right or left, is to pass protect... and everything we can get out of them in the run game will be gravy on top of it.” Though he notably adds that the same is true “for all five guys up front.” His former Lions’ line fielded two top-tier pass protectors in LT Taylor Decker and RT Penei Sewell, though they maintained a league-high neutral game run-play rate (51.6 percent) last year. He will likely employ a similar approach this season.

The son of a former BC All-American and New Orleans Saints guard, Trapilo stands a towering 6’8/317 with room to pack on functional weight. Flirted with LT early on but settled in at right tackle where he earned All-ACC recognition each of the last two seasons. A dependable front-side pass protector Trapilo allowed just two sacks, one hit and zero penalties in 361 pass reps, with Ozzy recording an 80th+ percentile pass pro grade in both 2023 and 2024. His elongated dimensions work against him when attempting to move people in the run game, but his 1.2% blown run block rate is a more than acceptable mark. Trapilo tested in the 70th+ percentile on all his Combine tests except for his 22 bench reps (52nd%) for a rock solid 8.87 RAS. He slides very well considering his long frame and is tough to beat with speed or finesse, rarely getting outsmarted while handling switches seamlessly. When he gets beat, it usually comes from a well timed punch to the chest when his pad level gets high, knocking him back and freezing up the defender to make a run at the quarterback. Trapilo will need to pack on a few pounds to fortify his anchor against NFL Edges, but he should have a productive NFL career.

Trapilo (6'7/255) has been on the receiving end of interest from multiple ACC and Big Ten programs, including Boston College (he attends nearby BC High), Michigan and Virginia. The three-star offensive lineman has a visit to Virginia scheduled for June 17, and he made the trek out to Ann Arbor earlier this spring. Trapilo has not released a list of finalists, but according to Dohn it appears as if the offensive lineman is focusing on BC, Michigan and Virginia at this point in the process.