Yosh Nijman
Getty
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)
The Chicago Bears shared both good and bad news about former second-round pick and starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo at the first day of the NFL Combine.
The good news is that the torn patellar tendon in Trapilo’s knee does not appear to have career-ending potential. The bad news is that he is unlikely to be back healthy soon enough to meaningfully impact Chicago’s season in 2026.
“[General manager Ryan] Poles does not believe Ozzy Trapilo’s injury is career-threatening, but he will miss most of next season,” Adam Hoge of CHGO reported via X on Tuesday, February 24.
Adam Hoge
#Bears offensive line notes:
Ryan Poles wants to keep Darnell Wright and Jonah Jackson together on the right side.
Joe Thuney won’t be moving to left tackle. That’s only something they want to do in a pinch.
Poles does not believe Ozzy Trapilo’s injury is career-threatening,
Hoge also noted that the temporary fix of kicking first-team All-Pro Joe Thuney out from left guard to left tackle, which the Bears did for the Divisional Round playoff contest against the Los Angeles Rams, is not a long-term solution.
Bears Left Tackle Braxton Jones Bound for Free Agency in March
Braxton Jones Ozzy Trapilo Theo Benedet Bears Left Tackle Bears Benched
GettyChicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones.
That leaves the Bears with a considerable question on an offensive line that finished with the No. 3 ranking in the league last season, per Pro Football Focus.
Chicago moved on from Braxton Jones at LT following 44 starts at that position over four years with the team, a decision that multiple injuries Jones suffered in 2025 impacted. Jones will become a free agent on March 11 if he doesn’t extend with the Bears before then.
The team initially turned to Theo Benedet, an undrafted rookie in 2024, as Jones’ replacement. However, Trapilo eventually became the preferred solution at left tackle and could have remained so in 2026 and beyond. But his injury means Chicago must find another answer at the premium position, where the only available options are liable to also prove expensive.
Packers’ Rasheed Walker Top Free Agent Option at Left Tackle
Rasheed Walker, Packers
GettyLeft tackle Rasheed Walker of the Green Bay Packers.
The clearest options are either to bring Jones back or to sign Green Bay Packers lineman Rasheed Walker who, along with Jones, will also be a free agent a couple of weeks from now.
However, Walker is a former seventh-round pick who finished ranked 52nd out of 89 qualifying tackles last season, according to PFF. But because of the position he plays, plus the supply/demand factor around the league at LT, Spotrac projects Walker to ink a four-year contract worth more than $81 million total.
That remains a far cry from the $28.5 million average annual salary that the Los Angeles Chargers are paying Rashawn Slater, currently the most expensive left tackle in the league. But the total would still put Walker, 26, near the top-10 paid players at his position and would signify a meaningful overpay based on recent production. In other words, it is a significant risk.
Jones, on the other hand, could prove a bargain option on a shorter-term deal given his recent injury concerns. Spotrac projects he is worth a two-year contract valued at just $9.5 million total, which is the kind of deal that would allow Chicago to transition back to Trapilo when he’s healthy.
Another potential option for the Bears — which is a longer-shot and far more expensive, but also potentially a Super Bowl type of move — would be the aggressive pursuit of 12-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro Trent Williams if he can’t reach a contract resolution with the San Francisco 49ers in the coming days.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Williams will likely hit free agency if he and the franchise can’t successfully negotiate an agreement.