Analyzing the Chicago Bears' Left Tackle Options Before Training Camp Begins

Entering the 2025 season, fans did not feel comfortable with the Chicago Bears left tackle situation. Many were expecting rookie Ozzy Trapilo to win the job coming out of camp, but his transition from right to left tackle didn't go swimmingly right away. This left a returning from injury Braxton Jones to start at left tackle and he struggled.

By Week 4, Theo Benedet took over at left tackle. While Bendet improved the Bears' running game, he struggled in pass protection. This ultimately led to Trapilo taking over the starting job in Week 12. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn patellar tendon in Chicago's Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers.

As a result, the Bears enter training camp this season with another battle for the starting left tackle job. Let's assess the candidates and decipher who the starting job could go to.

Who Will the Chicago Bears Starting Left Tackle be in 2026?

1. Braxton Jones

The first name on the list of potential starting left tackles in 2026 has to be Braxton Jones. Despite a poor performance in 2025, the former fifth-round pick has been a solid starter for the Bears.

Jones made three and a quarter starts in 2025, allowing two sacks and 15 QB pressures, according to PFF. However, his struggles can largely be tied to returning from a severe fractured fibula. That injury only made his pre-existing issues with handling bull rushers even more noticeable.

Being another year removed from the injury should help him look closer to what he was prior to the injury. After all, Jones was a serviceable player before he fractured his fibula. In the 11 games Jones was healthy in 2023, he allowed just two sacks and 32 QB pressures. While the pressure number was high, at least didn't allow sacks. Moreover, with Caleb Williams at the helm now, Jones's number of pressures may very well drop.

2. Theo Benedet

Benedet is in an interesting position. As a former undrafted offensive lineman, he played above expectations when he started in 2025. Although he exceeded expectations, it does not mean he was an exceptional player.

In eight starts last season, he earned a 55.8 pass blocking grade while allowing 26 QB pressures and two sacks. Though his sack numbers aren't high, allowing Williams to get pressured that much isn't great. Add on the fact that his pass blocking overall was poor, and it's not a surprise he was replaced before the season was over.

That said, he did excel as a run blocker. In 2025, Benedet earned a 65.6 run blocking grade. Given that the running game is such a huge part of Ben Johnson's offense, the boost he provided there was beneficial.

If Benedet is able to show significant improvement as a pass blocker during training camp, he could take the starting job.

3. Jedrick Wills Jr.

Unlike Jones and Benedet, Jedrick Wills is a new addition to this competition. Wills, a fomrer first round pick of the Cleveland Browns, dealt with a myriad of injuries during his time in Cleveland. However, with the move to Chicago, he is hoping to turn his fortunes around.

Wills began his NFL career in 2020 and was fairly durable for the first three years of his career. In that time, he started 48 of 53 games and was a solid starter. Wills averaged four sacks allowed and 20 QB pressures a season. While that's not the elite level they expected whenthey draft him at 10th overall, he was more than a solid starter.

Wills' injuries began in 2023 when he suffered a season-ending MCL injury. Though he returned in 2024, the knee injury provided lingering issues, including aggravations and hyperextensions. This ultimately caused him to play just five games and lose his starting job late in the season.

He then chose to sit out the entire 2025 season to focus on rehab. That decision adds some uncertainty, but it also gives him the chance to enter camp healthier than he has been in years. Compared to Jones, Wills offers a higher ceiling if he returns to form or even elevates his play. Compared to Benedet, he brings a much stronger track record in pass protection.

If anyone can get Wills to start meeting his potentail its Jonshon, Roushar, and the rest of the staff.

Verdict: Jedrick Wills

Even though Jones likely enters camp with the inside track, the upside with Wills is hard to ignore. If Wills proves he’s fully healthy and can regain his early-career form, he gives the Bears a higher ceiling at left tackle. Because of that, don’t be surprised if Wills ultimately wins the job coming out of camp.