Bears make significant change to left tackle competition as Braxton Jones takes over first-team reps

Coach Ben Johnson announced a significant change to the offensive line rotation Tuesday, saying Braxton Jones will work at left tackle with the first-team offense, while Theo Benedet will handle second-team reps.

Meanwhile, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie are expected to move over to the right side.

That's a notable development in what has been one of the Bears' biggest position battles throughout training camp.

Braxton Jones gets his opportunity with Bears starters

Jones getting the first-team gig isn't completely out of nowhere.

He had already begun stacking first-team reps earlier in camp before getting banged up during offensive line/defensive line one-on-ones. Initial indications were that Jones avoided a significant injury, and now he's apparently healthy enough for Johnson to put him back with Caleb Williams and the starting offense.

More importantly, the Bears appear to be narrowing the competition.

Wills and Amegadjie had been splitting significant work at left tackle and received extended opportunities during Chicago's 34-10 preseason victory over the Cleveland Browns. Neither made a particularly convincing case to take control of the job.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wills earned a 58.2 overall grade against Cleveland, while Amegadjie finished with a 44.8 grade. Amegadjie's 33.9 run-blocking grade was particularly rough.

Now both are shifting to the right side while Jones gets his shot with the starters.

What does this mean for Ozzy Trapilo?

There's another important piece to this puzzle: Ozzy Trapilo.

The Bears activated Trapilo from the PUP list this week following his remarkable recovery from the torn patellar tendon he suffered during Chicago's playoff run.

Trapilo isn't being thrown directly into the competition, and that's understandable. Chicago first needs to determine how much football work he can handle after spending the offseason rehabilitating his knee.

But his return gives the Bears another potential option if Jones doesn't secure the position.

For now, however, this looks like Jones' job to lose.

Benedet getting the second-team snaps is noteworthy, too. He has quietly remained involved in the tackle rotation throughout camp and now appears to have moved ahead of Wills and Amegadjie on the left side, at least for Tuesday's practice.

There's still enough time before Week 1 for Johnson to reshuffle the deck again. But after weeks of rotating candidates, the Bears have finally made a move that feels significant.