3 players vie for starting left tackle at Bears training camp

CBS News

20 hours ago

The Chicago Bears put the pads back on for their latest training camp practice on Thursday, in another opportunity for three players to try and stand out at left tackle.
The competition for the starting job in that position has been a healthy one in several ways.
With his longest practice so far at just under two and a half hours, head coach Ben Johnson said he wanted to see who is just surviving training camp, and who is thriving to be the king of the mountain.
Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie, and rookie Ozzy Trapilo are battling to assume the throne as the starting left tackle.
"It's laid out for us," said Amegadjie. "The staff is doing a great job of, you know, communicating with us on what they're looking for, and you know, putting us in position to go take advantage of every rep."
Jones, who is returning from ankle surgery, has the most experience with 40 NFL starts. But the Bears did invest a second-round pick in Trapilo.
The competition hasn't gotten in the way of their camaraderie.
"I'm super-grateful for them. They're both great people, great guys, and they're the first one to help, you know, anytime — any of us, anytime that there's something on the field that, you know, you have a question on, or specific technique — anything like that — they're the first to step up because, you know, they're at the same spot," said Trapilo. "The situation is what it is, but we're all out there trying to be better as a team."
"For me, I just am trying to focus on myself, to be honest, and do what I can to help the other guys as well, and you know, constantly learning," said Jones. "I use this phrase, when you're green, you grow, and when you're ripe, you rot."
The offensive-minded head coach said it will ultimately come down to consistency and winning one-on-one matchups, and who needs the least amount of help with play calls to determine who wins the left tackle job.