After spending the entire offseason revamping the offensive line and trying different combinations of players, the Chicago Bears had seemingly found the best unit to begin the season, with Braxton Jones at left tackle, Darnell Wright opposite him, and new additions Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, and Jonah Jackson manning the middle. As many Bears feared, however, this didn't last very long. Even though the offensive line was an improved unit from the disastrous 2024 season, why the Bears weren't using their second-round draft pick Ozzy Trapilo more left many fans scratching their heads.
The Week 4 win against the Las Vegas Raiders proved these fans right. After seeing star defensive end Maxx Crosby wreaking havoc on the offensive line, head coach Ben Johnson made the decision to bench Braxton Jones in favor of Trapilo. Theo Benedet, who was starting in place of injured Darnell Wright, moved from right tackle to the left as Trapilo earned his first offensive snaps of the season.
Not Giving Ozzy Trapilo a Chance Earlier Looks Like a Mistake
This decision proved fruitful right away. Crosby, who had three tackles for loss, a QB hit, a forced fumble, an interception, and two pass deflections in the first half, was largely quiet in the second half, only adding one more pass breakup. While Crosby's stat line will look monstrous after the game, Trapilo's impact on the game can't be ignored.
Even though Crosby moves all over the place on the defensive line and Trapilo alone can't be blamed for all that second-half success, it's safe to say that the rookie has given Johnson plenty to think about during Chicago's bye week.
During his post-game presser, Johnson heaped praise on the former Boston College standout, "he’s a guy that just keeps getting better each and every week... We were just at the point where we weren’t doing a whole lot on offense, and we felt like it might give us a spark," per the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley.
Johnson's acknowledgment of Trapilo is obviously important, but taking 3.5 games to give him a chance is highly questionable. The Bears are lucky to have escaped Las Vegas with a win, and if it wasn't for the last-second FG block, Chicago's loss would have largely been on the poor offensive line play in the first half. A 1-3 start heading into the bye week would have changed the entire narrative around Johnson and the Bears.
Johnson's decision not to start Trapilo on Sunday despite Wright's absence looks like a mistake in hindsight. Whether he learns from this mistake and gives the rookie his first start in Week 6 against the Commanders remains to be seen.