Chicago’s left tackle picture got murkier when Ozzy Trapilo ruptured his patellar tendon, an injury that leaves him out for an undetermined stretch and opens up the starting job for 2026. The Bears will sort it out in training camp with a three-way competition between Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, though none of the three arrives without questions.
Jones opened last season as the starter before getting benched for poor play. Wills has dealt with injuries and uneven results across his career. Amegadjie remains largely unproven two years into the league.
That uncertainty is why Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox floated Chicago as a possible home for former Lions Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Decker, who’s still unsigned. Knox pointed to the Bears and Rams as contenders who could use Decker as insurance up front, citing Trapilo’s injury as the opening in Chicago.
Detroit released Decker earlier this offseason after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a pay cut. He’s coming off a rough 2025, though a shoulder injury he played through goes a long way toward explaining it. Even in a down year, the 32-year-old surrendered just two sacks and 33 pressures while posting Pro Football Focus grades of 69.5 in pass protection and 62.1 in run blocking.
On paper he’d be a real upgrade to the competition, and there’s a built-in link through Ben Johnson, who coordinated Detroit’s offense before taking over as Chicago’s head coach. The problem is Decker himself.
Decker’s Lions roots run deep
On the Lions Collective Podcast, Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network said Decker is strongly against signing with either the Bears or Packers, a stance rooted in his years in Detroit. Rogers said the idea of Decker in one of those uniforms feels “kind of dirty” to him. He acknowledged Johnson made a similar jump and that it was the right move for the coach, but said the same path just doesn’t appeal to Decker.
Rogers also wasn’t sure Decker plays at all in 2026. He floated the possibility of a midseason signing if the right offer comes along once the games start and injuries pile up around the league, while allowing that Decker could sit the year out entirely. Decker told Rogers he wasn’t happy with how his Detroit tenure ended, but even that hasn’t softened his view on Chicago or Green Bay.
Jones still leads the way
Whatever happens on the market, Jones is the front-runner. He took every first-team rep at left tackle during spring practices, according to Cronin, putting him ahead of Wills and Amegadjie heading into camp.
Last season went badly, but there’s reason to think Jones can bounce back. He looks to be in strong shape and motivated, and he’s another year removed from the ankle injury that hampered him last offseason.
