Yosh Nijman
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 10: Ozzy Trapilo #75 of the Chicago Bears leaves the field against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Just when the Chicago Bears finally figured out a core group of five up front on offense, rookie Ozzy Trapilo suffered a devastating patellar tendon injury that will likely rule him out of the entire 2026 season.
“Really unfortunate because I thought he was coming along and was looking forward to him in this offseason, general manager Ryan Poles said. “I don’t have a specific timetable. I’m sure it’ll be something deep into next year for the injury. Had a good conversation with him. He knows this is part of his journey that he’s gonna have to overcome. I got a lot of faith in him and our staff to get him back ready to go, whenever that is.”
Now the Bears are tasked with figuring out what to do at left tackle, and Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice has a short-term suggestion for Chicago: signing Carolina Panthers tackle Yosh Nijman during free agency.
Yosh Nijman Could Be a Short-Term Fix for Ozzy Trapilo Situation
Yosh Nijman
GettyYosh Nijman #77 of the Carolina Panthers runs onto the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tice highlights how 1. there aren’t a ton of solid tackle options in free agency and 2. the Bears’ focus during the early rounds of the draft should not be on offensive tackle.
“It’s pretty slim pickings in FA (duh), Nijman maybe as a stopgap/hold your breath type? Draft-wise there are some interesting names that might be available with their 1st round pick and at 57, too. But like I said on the show, would prefer they go DT. And would prefer any guy they drafted to have OT/OG flexibility, to help add depth behind the vets. I guess the silver lining is Josh Simmons was able to come back from a patellar tendon on a startingly quick timeline?”
Tice is right, but the Bears should not bank their chances on Trapilo returning to full form next season.
Nijman would be an interesting acquisition. He’ll be 30 next season, and at 6’7″ and 317 pounds, he only allowed two sacks in 278 offensive snaps split between right and left tackle last season.
Here’s the thing. It’s highly unlikely that the Bears invest another high-round pick on an offensive tackle during the 2026 NFL Draft, especially since the team used a second-round pick on Trapilo last year. Chicago also brought back Theo Benedet on a one-year, $1 million deal.
Nijman’s market value, according to Spotrac, is $1 million. So, the Bears could not only have two options at left tackle, but also some competition to bring out the best in both Benedet and Nijman.
Bears Need to Focus Elsewhere
Signing Nijman on a one-year deal would be best for the Bears. That way, they can focus on more pressing matters.
Rather than left tackle, the Bears’ defensive line should be the main focus of the offseason. Here are some statistics to back up why this is a pressing matter.
Generated pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 14% of dropbacks (last in the NFL)
Generated 29.7% pressure rate on non-blitzes (28 out of 32)
Allowed 1.8 yards before contact per attempt to running backs (30 out of 32)
It’s hard to make a deep playoff run if the defense can’t generate any pressure up front, and it needs to be addressed. For now, a short-term fix at left tackle may be the best route Chicago can take, and Nijman may very well be in a Bears’ uniform next season.