Something strange is happening at Halas Hall. Going into this training camp, most people felt the left tackle job was a battle between Braxton Jones and two former high draft choices: Kiran Amegadjie and Ozzy Trapilo. Amegadjie suffered a leg injury a week ago, forcing him to miss the preseason opener. This seemed to narrow the competition to Jones and Trapilo, with Jones holding a slight edge. That assumption might’ve been premature. In the last two days, the Bears completely shook things up when they inserted former undrafted free agent Theo Benedet into the mix. He was almost exclusively with the starting offense on Thursday, signaling this is not a fluke decision. The coaches are serious. GM Ryan Poles has more insight into it than most.
He was asked whether Benedet has a real shot at the starting job on [670 The Score](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlSmip2Yncg). The answer was eye-opening. The left tackle competition is still wide open. No decision is made. The Bears aren’t looking for the guy they want to succeed. They’re waiting for somebody to take the job. The goal is to find somebody who can play “free.” Benedet has earned that chance with his strong camp and promising performance in the preseason opener.
His job was never to ensure his higher picks got starting jobs. It was always about taking enough bites at the apple until the Bears found tackles who could do the job. Darnell Wright worked out well. Finding a left tackle has been tougher. Jones has the athleticism but not the power. Amegadjie has the physical ability, but can’t stay healthy. Trapilo is a rookie and switched positions from his natural right tackle spot. Benedet was a calculated risk last year. He performed well in the pre-draft All-Star game circuit, boasting great size and athleticism. The problem is that he came from Canada and was completely untested against premier defensive linemen. It seems Benedet has learned a lot over the past year and is applying those lessons to great effect. Ryan Poles and the coaching staff have taken notice and seem willing to let him chase the main job.
