Windy City Gridiron
With Training Camp just over a week away, we’ll wrap up the final installment of a two-part series. This week, we’ll take a deeper dive into the three best camp battles on the offensive side of the ball.
July is in full swing, so training camp for all 32 teams is approaching. It’s been an active offseason with little downtime for teams like the Chicago Bears. They’ve brought in a new coaching staff, made multiple impact moves in the trade and free agency market, and an eight-man draft class. Changes have been aplenty in Chicago, making training camp and the preseason much more interesting.
In the first of two installments, we’ll take a look at three camp battles on the offensive side of the ball. With most starting spots filled (barring injury), focusing on the depth chart with role players will be the idea here. Here are three training camp battles to keep an eye on in the month of August.
1. Left Tackle
Over the last two offseasons, the Bears have attempted to upgrade at the left tackle position. Last year, they opted for Rome Odunze over one of the tackles. This year, three went in the first nine picks, which led Chicago to wait until the second round. To make matters even more complicated, incumbent starter Braxton Jones is still working his way back from a broken leg that cost him the final few games in 2024. There have been minimal updates on his status, but the expectation is that he’ll either be placed on PUP to kick off camp or be severely limited while he works back into on-the-field shape.
Couple that with Jones being in the final year of his four-year rookie deal, and it makes sense why the Bears would want to explore different options. Dan Moore’s four-year, $82 million free agent contract was a sobering reality: Even below-average tackles are making good money now.
Luckily for the Bears, they’ve got two young and capable bodies that they can continue to take their time evaluating. Kiran Amegadjie missed most of last year’s camp and preseason due to an injury he suffered at Yale. Because of that, he was woefully unprepared to face NFL competition in his rookie year. The team failed him by even trying to put him out there, but those 100-plus snaps have stuck in the mind of this fanbase. In 2025, he’ll have a chance to go through an entire NFL offseason program and should be more prepared to face true competition.
Ozzy Trapilo was one of the team’s second-round selections at No. 56. The 6’8 Boston College product has experience on both sides of the offensive line, but his most recent starting experience has come on the right side. The new coaching staff has been working with him on the left side, and fans can expect that to continue into camp and the preseason.
There’s no guarantee that either player looks good enough to be ready for Week 1 against a...
