Ben Johnson Has Only 3 Emergency Options At Left Tackle

The Chicago Bears‘ left tackle situation has plenty of people worried. It is the most critical position on the offensive line and ironically the only one the team failed to address this offseason. All four of the other spots are situated. Yet, head coach Ben Johnson and his staff have no answers through half of training camp and a preseason game. Braxton Jones doesn’t look healthy. Ozzy Trapilo clearly isn’t comfortable on the left side. Kiran Amegadjie can’t stay healthy, and Theo Benedet is inexperienced. People are left asking the unsettling question.

What if none of these options manage to stand out over the next week?

At some point, a team must turn to the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency options. The Bears did that with Jason Peters a few years ago. They could try that again. Looking at this from a realistic perspective, three options are on the table. None of them is ideal.

#1 – Ben Johnson could gamble on the free agent market.

Obviously, the options are slim this time of year. They could try to lure former All-Pro Tyron Smith out of retirement, but that feels unlikely. Outside of that, the best option is George Fant. The 33-year-old has 75 starts in his career, including several at left tackle. He might at least give them some stability. They could also look at former 1st round pick Isaiah Wynn, who played left tackle extensively in New England. However, he’s spent the past few years as a guard.

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#2 – Shifting Darnell Wright to left tackle

Keep in mind that the former 1st round pick has spent the entirety of his major football career on the right side. He has never played left tackle. He has good size and adequate athleticism, so making the switch is plausible. The idea would be to allow Ozzy Trapilo to play right tackle, which is his natural position. He’s looked much better on that side since the Bears started putting him there in recent practices. This would at least allow the Bears to keep their interior trio intact.

#3 – Move Joe Thuney back outside

He is a guard. He’s always been a guard. However, Thuney showed he could play left tackle in a pinch for the Kansas City Chiefs last year. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was enough to get his team back to the Super Bowl. Finding a fill-in at left guard would be easier for the Bears, either with veteran Ryan Bates or rookie Luke Newman. This is probably the least likely option because Ben Johnson would prefer to have strength along the interior. Thuney is by far at his best at guard.