Ben Johnson acknowledged that Bears LT competition is awkward for future Hall of Famer

As they try to defend their NFC North title and take the next step as a franchise, the Bears have a significant issue to address on offense. They still don't know who will protect possible MVP candidate Caleb Williams' blindside, a.k.a. who will be their starting left tackle. For a Bears team that will almost certainly be built around what it hopes is an elite offense — particularly with some injury issues for what might only be an average defense at best — you can understand why sorting out their left tackle competition carries a lot of weight.

For posterity, veteran Braxton Jones is listed as the Bears' current starting left tackle on their depth chart. He is facing competition from Theo Benedet and Ozzy Trapilo, who was recently activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after suffering a patellar tendon injury in last year's playoffs.

As head coach Ben Johnson alluded to on Wednesday, said competition is likely also pretty awkward for Bears starting left guard Joe Thuney. The five-time All-Pro, four-time Super Bowl champion, and reigning/inaugural winner of the NFL Protector of the Year Award (given to pro football's best offensive lineman in a season) could probably make any combination work with any left tackle. That's why he's a likely future Hall of Famer.

But for the Bears' offense to really get off the ground running in 2026, it's better that Thuney gets consistent time to build chemistry with whoever his partner will be at left tackle as soon as possible. The same can really be said for all five members of the Bears' offensive line because the more in-tune every member of a starting offensive line is with each other, the better they generally play as a unit:

“I think Joe [Thuney] would like some clarity on who he can build a rapport with,” Ben Johnson said. “It’s been a little bit of a revolving door [at left tackle]. He’s a pro’s pro and he’s willing to do everything, but you want five guys playing as one. We’ll go as long as we need to to figure out who those five are, but at the same time, the sooner we can make that decision, the sooner they can jell as a unit as well. Last year it took us until the bye week before we started clicking as an offensive line and the run game came alive the way we wanted. I think he’s doing a great job. The communication is a huge piece of it.”

For everyone's sake in Chicago, it's better that Johnson and Co. sort out who is playing next to Thuney sooner rather than later. Every repetition with the starters counts in the Bears' offensive mission to get off to a fast start.

Chicago played Benedet at left tackle for much of the year before eventually handing off the reins to Trapilo, who was a second-round draft pick in 2025. Trapilo played well in his stint and probably would've been the incumbent starter heading into this season had he not suffered a serious injury in January.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ben Johnson acknowledged that Bears LT competition is awkward for future Hall of Famer