Chicago Bears Injury Update: There is fresh hope for Chicago Bears tackle Ozzy Trapilo. The second-year player is coming back from a torn patellar tendon, and new word from camp is that his return might come sooner than people first thought.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer watched a Bears practice and reported that Trapilo “might be back sooner than expected.” That is a real change from the offseason, when most people assumed the injury would keep him out for most, if not all, of 2026.
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How the injury happened
Trapilo tore the patellar tendon in his knee during last season’s wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. The injury ended his rookie year. He had surgery not long after the Bears were knocked out in the divisional round.
A torn patellar tendon is a hard injury to come back from. It can take close to a year to recover, which is why the early expectation was a long absence.
Where things stand now
The Bears placed Trapilo on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp, so he cannot practice yet. He is also expected to start the regular season on Injured Reserve. Once he is cleared, he can return to practice and, later, to game action.
Even with the good news, it is smart to keep expectations in check. Trapilo is not likely to be back at full strength until 2027, and he has only a handful of career starts, so some growing pains are normal. Still, even a late-season return in 2026 would help the offensive line.
There have now been two positive signs. Last month a video showed Trapilo doing strength and conditioning work, and now Breer’s report from camp adds to the optimism.
What it says about the Bears’ plans
General manager Ryan Poles has spoken well of Trapilo’s recovery, going back to comments he made around the 2026 draft. The Bears also did not spend big to fix left tackle this offseason, which is another sign they feel good about where he is in his rehab.
The team is not going to rush him back. With an injury this serious, they will wait until he is fully ready.
The left tackle battle
While Trapilo heals, the Bears have an open competition at left tackle, the spot that protects quarterback Caleb Williams. They re-signed Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet and added Jedrick Wills for more competition. For now it looks like a three-man race between Jones, Wills, and Kiran Amegadjie.
Trapilo still has the highest ceiling of the group. As a rookie he took over the job in Week 12 after Benedet got hurt, and he played well. Per PFF, he gave up just two sacks and 15 pressures on 283 pass-blocking snaps while still learning a new position. If he makes it back this season, he could win the starting job back fairly quickly.
