Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is leaving no stone unturned in constructing his offensive line.
During Thursday's training camp practice, CHGO Bears insider Adam Jahns observed tackle Theo Benedet on the field with the first unit, taking over at left tackle for Braxton Jones.
First team period begins at Bears practice: Theo Benedet at LT with the starters.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 14, 2025
Solving Offensive Line Woes Paramount to Bears 2025 Season
It was the second consecutive day Benedet, who's from Toronto and played collegiately at the University of British Columbia, took reps with the first-team offense, suggesting the 2024 undrafted free agent is under legitimate consideration for a starting role.
At the beginning of camp, Jones, a four-year veteran, and rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo were the presumptive top two candidates for the starting left tackle role, but Benedet's arrival to the mix is a sign that the competition is far from complete.
Arguably, getting the right five players on the offensive line is Johnson's most important job this preseason. Last year, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times. Only two quarterbacks in NFL history have been sacked more in a single season, per Stathead research.
Jones, a 2022 fifth-round pick and last year's starting left tackle for 12 games, struggled in 24 snaps during preseason Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. According to Pro Football Focus data, Jones allowed two pressures and a sack in 15 pass-blocking situations.
Trapilo received 37 snaps at left tackle and fared better, only allowing one pressure in 24 opportunities. But Benedet had the best game of the three, which may partly be explained by playing against Dolphins backups. However, the Bears would be unwise to discredit the performance completely. After all, starting-caliber linemen should look as good as Benedet did last Sunday against second- and third-string defenders.
He took the majority of his snaps (71.1 percent) at right tackle and didn't allow a single pressure in 27 pass-blocking snaps.
With only three weeks before the start of the regular season, the clock is ticking for someone to take ownership of the starting role at left tackle. And after this week's update, it's not out of the picture that it could be Benedet.