Heading into the offseason, the Chicago Bears will have a couple of questions to answer regarding the offensive line and their plans for 2026.
Do the Bears envision Braxton Jones being part of their plans next season, with left tackle Ozzy Trapilio coming off a patellar tendon injury? That question will likely be answered at some point in free agency. And the other question is, will former third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie make the 53-man roster this summer?
Amegadjie has gotten off to a disappointing start in his NFL career in the Windy City, as he was leapfrogged on the depth chart this year. The 23-year-old tackle has only played in six games in his first two years, which came in his rookie season.
After playing sparingly in 2024, the hope was that the former Yale offensive lineman would make a push for the starting left tackle job with a new coaching staff taking over.
However, as things quickly played out, it became clear that Amegadjie wasn’t the answer. The second-year lineman sustained a leg injury that forced him to miss the first preseason game, but he saw action in the second preseason contest.
But Amegadjie was running with the third team and eventually moved to right tackle. Despite his poor play, the Bears kept him on the 53-man roster due to GM Ryan Poles’ vision that he could play some guard. That said, Amegadije’s 2025 season was quickly put on ice as he was placed on injured reserve with an elbow injury.
Kiran Amegadjie Down to His Last Bears Chance This Offseason
With that being said, the former Yale standout can’t afford to have any slip-ups in the preseason or training camp.
Since Ben Johnson did not draft Amegadjie, he doesn’t have to show the young lineman any grace or favor. The Bears could easily decide to put their energy into developing Theo Benedet, who showed early on in training camp last summer that he could be a factor this season.
The Bears were right to keep working with Benedet, who took over the starting job in Week 4 for a struggling Jones. That said, the Canadian offensive tackle is still rough around the edges, especially in pass blocking (54.9 grade on Pro Football Focus). But for an undrafted free agent, the 2025 season was a good building block going forward.
If Chicago wants to try the guard route with Amegadjie, that could provide an avenue for him to make the roster. As of right now, their backup guards are rookie Luke Newman, who appeared in nine games this season, and Jordan McFadden.
McFadden, who spent most of the season on the practice squad, appeared in two games and made his first start in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. McFadden wasn’t great in the run blocking department with a 57.9 grade on PFF, but in pass blocking, he was solid with a 75.7 grade.
McFadden is an RFA this offseason, but one should expect him to be back with the Bears for competition. With all that being said, the deck is stacked against Amegadije and his future in Chicago.
However, the ball is in his court to force the Bears to make a tough decision; we’ll see what he can ultimately do over the next several months.