The competition for the left tackle job suddenly expanded by one Sunday when the Bears activated Ozzy Trapilo from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
The 2025 second-round pick initially was expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season with a knee injury he sustained in the Bears' playoff win over the Packers.
"Can you believe it? Yeah, it's awesome," said left guard Joe Thuney. "Just a credit to him, the staff here, trainers, weight staff, everybody. It's just great to see him back on the field. Who knows what the timetable will be? But great to see him moving in football positions again, helmet on. He had another great year last year, and it's cool to see him out there."
Trapilo excelled while starting the final six regular-season games last year, seemingly establishing himself as the Bears' left tackle of the future before he was injured.
"He's another guy who came in as a rookie, worked really hard, in his playbook all the time, great teammate," Thuney said. "Just a great guy, a guy you want out there. So, it's awesome to see him put the work in the whole offseason to try to get back into position to play again. I'm really happy for him."
Taylor was pleased to see first-year receiver Kaden Davis make the same type of impact plays in the preseason opener as he has throughout training camp.
Davis led the Bears with four receptions for 88 yards, including a 41-yarder. He also contributed as a downfield blocker.
"He's done a great job," Taylor said. "He continues to produce with the opportunities he's been given. You've got to put wins on tape. He had a contested catch on the sideline; he had a couple other plays. He did a good job blocking. We had a good third-down conversion on a run early with Roschon \[Johnson\] where he shows up and he's blocking the safety, kind of springs us for our longest run of the day. So, he put a lot of good things on tape, and he's continued to do that."