The Chicago Bears continue to thrive with their 'next man up' mentality. Head coach Ben Johnson's team has been one of the most banged-up in the league, but they're not here to make excuses. If someone can play, they'll play.
That was the case with rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo in Week 12. With Braxton Jones on Injured Reserve and Theo Benedet out with a quad injury, Trapilo made his first career start at left tackle, and he looked more than ready to take that role.
With that in mind, it now seems like Ben Johnson will have a good problem in his hands. Per ESPN insider Courtney Cronin, Benedet is inching closer to his return, so Johnson will have to decide whether to turn back to him or stick with the rookie to face the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bears Need to Make the Correct Ozzy Trapilo Decision
Trapillo looked like a veteran against the Pittsburgh Steelers' strong front seven. He didn't give up a sack or a quarterback hit and only allowed one pressure in 41 pass-protection snaps, and he also excelled as an additional blocker.
Following the win, Johnson had nothing but praise for the way he held his ground despite not getting that much playing time this season. Judging by his words, he has no intentions of getting him off the field:
“Consistency," Johnson said, per 247 Sports. "He didn't miss a beat there... I think he did a nice job whenever he had help on his side of being slow to drag out, and so he was helping out, being firm to the inside while allowing the guys outside of him to do their jobs. And so, just the full understanding of the game plan and what we're trying to get done, and it's a great start for him to build on.”
Of course, the Bears can always revert to Benedet because he's a known commodity. Then again, with Trapilo showing flashes of being a long-term answer to protect Caleb Williams' blind side, not riding the hot hand and benching the rookie might be a decision they will come to regret at some point.
On the one hand, Benedet is a proven veteran, and with the Bears' offensive line firing on all cylinders as a unit, it's easy to understand why this team would want to get him back on the field. If anything, making sure Williams wasn't the most-sacked quarterback in the league again was their primary offseason priority.
But, upon further review, it's not like Benedet has been lights out this season. On the contrary, he has a 56.4 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranks 62nd among 80 eligible tackles. He's also 64th in pass-block grade (57.6) and 48th in run-block grade (61.8). That's not much better than the also-injured Jones, who has a 55.5 PFF grade (66th) and ranks 49th and 74th in pass-block and run-block, respectively (62.7 and 47.2, respectively).
Trapilo hasn't been out there as much, but even in the limited sample size, he's been better than both of his veteran teammates. He has a 69.7 PFF grade with a 64.7 pass-block grade in 77 pass-blocking snaps and a 69.0 run-block grade in 59 opportunities. He has yet to give up a sack and has only allowed three pressures this season, all while playing at both right and left tackle.
There's always an element of uncertainty, and there will be growing pains with all rookies. So, as obvious as this decision should be, given these numbers, it's still easy to understand why Johnson might have some doubts about what to do here. However, the eye test and the numbers show a clear winner here, meaning the Bears can't afford to run with anyone but Trapilo in the LT1 spot.