Ozzy Trapilo could be back sooner than anyone expected.
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson confirmed Tuesday that Trapilo has been ahead of schedule in his recovery and that practice before the start of the regular season is now a real possibility—less than eight months after he ruptured his patellar tendon during the team's wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers in January. The return is not confirmed, but the organization had not counted on even this much when the injury first occurred.
"We'll see how things go, but he's doing a good job working right now," Johnson said. "He's been attacking this thing head on. He's been here pretty much all summer. I've gotten to see him every single day, and he's doing a great job with the rehab process."
Johnson added that Trapilo still has benchmarks to clear before he can take the practice field. "There's still a lot of things that he's got to hit to make himself available for practice, but he's done a really nice job with the rehab," Johnson said. That caveat matters—a patellar tendon rupture is one of the more serious lower-body injuries in football, and clearing the protocol is not automatic.
Trapilo was a second-round pick last year. He did not step into the starting lineup immediately, taking over the left tackle job in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and holding it from that point forward. He started six regular-season games at the position before the knee gave out in the postseason.
The Bears entered the offseason without a clear answer at left tackle because of the injury. They did not use a high draft pick to address the position and did not spend heavily in free agency to bring in a proven starter. Instead, the team leaned on Braxton Jones as the presumptive starter, with Jedrick Wills, Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie competing behind him.
Jones has been sidelined with a minor injury during camp but is expected back soon. Johnson said the coaching staff planned to meet Wednesday to potentially settle the left tackle competition, which means a decision on the starting job was imminent even before Trapilo's update changed the math.
If Trapilo reaches the practice field before the season opens, the Bears face a genuine roster question at one of the most important positions on the offensive line. A healthy Trapilo was the clear starter when he went down. His return—even a partial one during the preseason—forces the staff to weigh a player who earned the job against the group that has been running with the first team all summer.
Jones has led the competition in Trapilo's absence. Wills, Benedet and Amegadjie have all had reps. None of them secured the job by the time Johnson spoke Tuesday, which tells you the staff has not been thrilled with what it has seen—or is deliberately keeping the door open for Trapilo.
The left tackle is the blindside protector for any right-handed quarterback, responsible for keeping pressure away from the pocket on the side the QB cannot see. Losing that starter in January and not replacing him with proven depth was a calculated risk by the front office. Trapilo's recovery makes that bet look reasonable rather than reckless.
Patellar tendon ruptures typically carry a nine-to-12-month recovery window for NFL offensive linemen. Trapilo tore his during the playoffs in January, meaning a return before the regular season would put him at the short end of that range. The Bears were prepared for him to miss the entire year. That he is working daily and drawing positive reviews from his head coach in August changes the team's ceiling at the position considerably.
Johnson's language Tuesday was careful but clearly optimistic. He did not guarantee Trapilo would practice before the season. He said it is possible, and in coach-speak, possible before the season is a significant upgrade from expected to miss the year. The Bears will know more after Wednesday's staff meeting, when a left tackle decision—with or without Trapilo in the picture—takes shape.
