Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson explains decision to keep Braxton Jones on bench

The Chicago Bears decided to make a big change to the offensive line early during Sunday’s Week 4 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders.

With right tackle Darnell Wright out due to an elbow injury, right tackle Theo Benedet and left tackle Braxton Jones were struggling with their assignments against star defensive end Maxx Crosby and the rest of the Raiders front seven.

Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson praises Ozzy Trapilo

Second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo entered the game at right tackle late in the second quarter after Braxton Jones exited with an apparent injury. Jones was favoring his ankle on one play in the first half, although the Bears never made an injury designation during the game. With Trapilo on the right side, the Bears moved Benedet to left tackle for the remainder of the game.

It appeared to work better as they slowed down Maxx Crosby a little bit. The Bears only gave up one sack in the contest, though quarterback Caleb Williams had to deal with constant pressure throughout the game. Chicago ultimately defeated the Raiders 25-24.

During his news conference, head coach Johnson praised Trapilo for working hard in practice every day and improving. He put Trapilo into the game to provide a “spark” for the offense.

“He’s he’s a guy that just keeps getting better each and every week, and so we were just at the point where we weren’t doing a whole lot on offense, and we felt like That might give us a little spark and ignite us a little bit on offense there,” Johnson said.

What will the Bears do moving forward

This was the first appearance on the field for Trapilo in his NFL career, as he was inactive for two of the previous three games.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Bears do at the tackles after the bye in Week 5. Wright should be healthy for Chicago’s Week 6 contest against the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football.”

But the Bears would make a change at left tackle based on what they’ve seen from Jones early in the season. The 2022 fifth-round pick has not been the same player he was before his season-ending ankle injury that required surgery this year.

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