Nobody saw it coming. For weeks, the Chicago Bears' left tackle competition was about Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, and Kiran Amegadjie. After the latter injured his leg, most felt the decision was down to Jones or Trapilo. However, something shifted after the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins. Rather than make a final decision as some expected, the coaching staff pivoted. Suddenly, second-year man Theo Benedet started getting reps with the starting offense, which has continued all week.
This is not something anyone expected. It led to speculation that the Bears might be using it to motivate Jones and Trapilo, who've had some consistency issues. Adam Jahns of CHGO set the record straight on that. Make no mistake. Benedet's rise is real. The young tackle has earned an opportunity to go after the starting job, and the coaches are giving it to him. It isn't clear why this is happening. Jahns wonders if it might have something to do with the run game, but whatever the case, Benedet is not being used as some tactic to push others.
Theo Benedet is at the doorstep of something rare.
One must understand this. The Bears have three draft picks battling for that spot. Jones already has three years of starting experience. Trapilo and Amegadjie are 2nd and 3rd rounders. These are talented young men. Theo Benedet was an undrafted free agent from Canada. No player from his university has ever become successful in the NFL. The best many hoped for him was making the roster as a backup. Also, don't forget he was undone by injuries last season, which forced the Bears to cut him. For Benedet to overcome all that and put himself into a position to maybe steal the starting left tackle job is miraculous. It also tells you a lot about this coaching staff. They don't care about a player's origin story. They only care if you can play at a high level or not.
Loading comments...