Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson's first training camp in the Windy City is officially underway. While there's been some good so far, the Bears have also demonstrated some sloppiness that must be ironed out before the summer is over. Otherwise, Johnson's inaugural head coaching season might go bumpier than he would like.
One player whom Bears fans are interested in seeing play under Johnson is rookie offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo. The former Boston College standout was drafted 56th overall by Chicago in April, and fans have been intrigued since then to see if he has what it takes to steal a bigger role in Year 1 — especially as starting left tackle Braxton Jones continues to rehab from his fractured fibula.
Although early training camp signs pointed to a positive outlook for Trapilo, his first NFL head coach might already be fumbling the rookie's development.
Bears HC Ben Johnson Makes Mistake by Starting Kiran Amegadjie Over Ozzy Trapilo
On Wednesday, the Bears gave Trapilo a huge vote of confidence by letting him primarily practice with the team's starters. Unfortunately, Johnson took that opportunity away from the Norwell, MA native only 24 hours later by using Kiran Amegadjie as Jones' replacement, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs.
Kiran Amegadjie took snaps with the starters in team drills at left tackle for the #Bears this morning.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) July 24, 2025
As in the spring, CB Nashon Wright getting more time with 1's with Jaylon Johnson absent.
Even if the Bears plan to rotate back and forth between Amegadjie and Trapilo, that doesn't mean it's a good idea. If the goal is to protect quarterback Caleb Williams as best as possible, thrusting the former 2024 third-rounder into a big role could blow up in Chicago's face.
It isn't a secret that Amegadjie wasn't the most reliable blocker last season. The ex-Yale product struggled to provide adequate protection in the six games he played, finishing with an abysmal 39.4 pass blocking grade on Pro Football Focus after surrendering eight pressures on 67 passing downs.
Trapilo might be unproven at the NFL level, but it would be foolish for the Bears not to give him as many opportunities as possible to capitalize on Jones' absence. The 6-foot-8, 309-pound rookie only gave up 15 pressures without taking a penalty across 362 passing downs with Boston College in 2024, resulting in 80.5 pass blocking and 69.9 run protection grades on PFF.
Considering how Amegadjie was even scratched at times last year despite the Bears' offensive line injuries, it's clear that he doesn't deserve starting-quality opportunities until he proves himself. In the meantime, Chicago should be capitalizing on its second-round investment by highlighting Trapilo as early and often as possible.
Hopefully, Johnson realized that soon to prevent unnecessary headaches. Otherwise, the Bears' O-line could be a messy situation even when Jones returns.