The Chicago Bears are still searching for their starting left tackle 19 days ahead of their season opener at the Carolina Panthers. The biggest position battle at Bears' training camp has been ongoing since the team's first practice July 29. Just like last year, four players are in the mix: Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr. Coach Ben Johnson said, "It's a hot spot for us," noting the team lacks clarity through 17 practices.

Jones has been seen as the front-runner despite missing over a week with injury. In his absence, the Bears hoped to find roles for Amegadjie and Wills while rotating both with the starting offensive line. That plan changed last week when Johnson announced Amegadjie and Wills would move to right tackle with the backup lines and Benedet would enter the mix at left tackle with Jones.

In the Bears' second preseason game against the Bengals, Jones started at left tackle and logged 15 snaps, and Benedet came in next and played 28 snaps. Since being drafted in the fifth round by Chicago in 2022, Jones has started 44 games at left tackle, including three in 2025 after he was announced as the opening-day starter leading into the Bears' loss against Minnesota. He was benched before halftime in Las Vegas in Week 4 and spent 11 weeks on injured reserve with a knee injury.

He was replaced by Benedet, who started eight games before being replaced by 2025 second-rounder Ozzy Trapilo, who ruptured a patellar tendon in the Bears' wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Trapilo has participated in practices for more than a week after being activated off the PUP list far sooner than the team had expected. Johnson said Trapilo is on his "own timeline" after missing all of spring workouts and the majority of training camp.

He has participated in only individual drills since returning to practice Aug. 16. Though Johnson noted the Bears still lack clarity at the position, Jones took all the first-team reps at left tackle during a two-hour padded practice Tuesday. Benedet spent time at right tackle with the backup offensive line before he replaced Darnell Wright more than halfway through practice.

Wright exited the Bears' red zone period after two run plays with an apparent injury to his right elbow. The All-Pro right tackle went to the sideline where he was evaluated by trainers for roughly five minutes before walking into the building to receive further examination. He did not return.

The Bears made Wright the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history Aug. 4 when he signed a four-year, $116 million extension. Despite playing through an elbow injury suffered in Week 3, Wright earned second-team All-Pro honors and ranked fourth in pass block win rate (95.2%) last season. He also logged the fifth-highest snap count on offense (93.07%).