Chicago Bears training camp report: Ozzy Trapilo returns to practice, throwing wrinkle into left tackle battle

The Chicago Bears activated injured offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday. Trapilo made his first appearance at practice since January. Trapilo tore his patellar tendon in the wild-card round playoff win over the Green Bay Packers in January. Bears general manager Ryan Poles suggested after the season that Trapilo would be sidelined “deep into next year.” Instead, Trapilo is returning to practice in mid-August, well ahead of schedule. As if that wasn’t enough injury news, running back Kyle Monangai exited Sunday’s practice with an apparent right knee injury. Monangai got tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during what was a non-padded practice. Here’s what we learned Sunday at Halas Hall. Trapilo makes a surprise return Trapilo’s return throws a new wrinkle into the left tackle battle. Braxton Jones has been back at practice after missing some time with a minor knee injury. Jones did not play in Saturday’s preseason opener. Instead, Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr. split time at left tackle in the 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. After such a major injury, Trapilo will need practice time before the Bears are ready to throw him into a game. On Sunday, Trapilo participated only in individual drills before heading inside the team’s training facility for the remainder of practice. “He’s been attacking this thing head on,” coach Ben Johnson said when asked about Trapilo last week. “He’s been here pretty much all summer. I’ve gotten to see him every single day, it seems like, and he’s doing a great job with the rehab process.” The Bears selected Trapilo with the 56th pick in the 2025 draft. As a rookie last year, he was among the players in contention for the left tackle job in camp, but it was ultimately Jones who won the job coming out of camp. But after the Bears cycled through Jones and Theo Benedet, they eventually settled on Trapilo as their starting left tackle down the stretch. Trapilo appeared in 14 regular-season games last season, starting the final six at left tackle heading into the playoffs. Trapilo injured himself in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter against the Packers. All 6-foot-8 and 312 pounds of him somehow hopped off the field on one leg to save the Bears from having to burn a timeout at a crucial juncture. “I still can’t believe he got off the field on his own power — pretty remarkable in that situation,” All-Pro lineman Joe Thuney said Sunday. “But he’s another guy who came in as a rookie, worked really hard, in his playbook all the time, great teammate. Just a great guy, a guy you want out there. So it’s awesome to see him put the work in the whole offseason to try to get back into position to play again.” Offensive coordinator Press Taylor noted that the upcoming joint practices against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday and against the Tennessee Titans next week will be pivotal for deciding the left tackle job moving forward. It seems unlikely that Trapilo would be ready for live action as quickly as Thursday. The Bears aren’t likely to rush him into anything, especially when they have other options. But from a big-picture perspective, the Sept. 13 season opener is 28 days away. That’s four weeks’ worth of practices for Trapilo to get back into shape. The three-way battle at left tackle might have just become a four-way battle. Monangai goes down Monangai’s injury put a major damper on practice Sunday. The players were not wearing full pads and the practice was only about an hour long. Coming the day after the preseason opener, only about half the roster suited up for practice. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent and others who saw major reps in the game were given the day off. Monangai went down in a team drill after he and Jarrett got tangled up. Both players ended up on the ground, with Monangai in obvious pain. Jarrett, a 12th-year player and a team captain a year ago, tried to pull up before hitting Monangai. The veteran appeared to be visibly upset with himself after the play. “Hopefully it’s nothing too crazy significant,” Thuney said. “But football is football. It’s tough. I hope he’s alright.” Monangai eventually stood up and walked inside the team facility under his own power, but he was moving slowly. A report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested the Bears believe Monangai avoided a major injury, but the running back will need an MRI for confirmation. Caleb Williams watch In the short practice, there wasn’t much opportunity for either the offense or the defense to get in a rhythm. Williams completed passes to receivers Jahdae Walker, Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond in a two-minute situation. A short check-down to running back D’Andre Swift got the offense to the 9-yard line, where they would have had a chip-shot field goal to tie the game. Jones took reps with the starters at left tackle. Amegadjie and Wills had the day off. Benedet worked in at left tackle for a few reps. Injuries and participation In positive injury news, defensive end Montez Sweat returned to practice for the first time since suffering an undisclosed injury on Aug. 6. With more than 40 players given the day off following the preseason game, the list of absent players was long. Notable absences, though, included receivers Luther Burden (groin) and Zavion Thomas (knee), offensive linemen Jordan McFadden (undisclosed) and Luke Newman (foot), cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson (undisclosed), Terell Smith (undisclosed), Jaylon Jones (ankle) and linebacker Wayne Matthews III (undisclosed). Receiver Kyron Hudson and defensive backs K.C. Eziomume and Gervarrius Owens were all waived with injury settlements on Sunday. Per the NFL transaction wire, the Bears hosted veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport for a visit. Davenport played five seasons with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen when both were in New Orleans. He spent the past two seasons with the Detroit Lions, where he overlapped with Johnson in 2024.