Signing his rookie deal right before camp ensured that Ozzy Trapilo remains well-positioned for easily the most important stretch of his early career. Braxton Jones is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp. That means the door will be open for somebody else to fill the void at left tackle. Right now, it is a two-man battle between Trapilo and Kiram Amegadjie, the Chicago Bears' 3rd round pick from last year. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Amegadjie is the better athlete. Trapilo is bigger and more polished.
One thing about the Boston College tackle is his ability to learn. Absorbing information is something he mastered from an early age. It's in his blood, after all. His father played in the NFL. Trapilo also had NFL coaches teaching him in college. Yet his greatest resource might be something the Bears provided upon his arrival. That is left guard Joe Thuney. He has been an invaluable source of information and advice for the rookie going back months, helping to streamline the acclimation process.
“When we’re out there, especially after a rep, the benefit of practice is you can get back to the huddle and talk a little bit about it. You don’t have to move on to the next play right now. Especially looking at the tape and stuff like that. So (it’s) talking through reps with him, kind of seeing where his head’s at and just picking his brain.”
Ozzy Trapilo controls his own destiny.
The Bears have provided every resource imaginable to accomplish his career goals. He has a tremendous play caller running the offense in Ben Johnson. Dan Roushar is one of the best offensive line coaches in football. Add the opportunity to learn from a future Hall of Famer like Thuney, and you couldn't ask for a better setup. It feels like Ozzy Trapilo understands the opportunity in front of him. If he does everything these highly-qualified people instruct him to, he has a bright career ahead of him. Everything comes down to how quickly he can make a positive impression before Jones reinserts himself into the equation or Amegadjie progresses in his development. The next week or two could prove pivotal.
