Chapter 1: What is the Bears' left tackle problem?
Rahimi Harrison-Groney, middays 10-2, on 104.3 The Score.
Ryan, with Ozzie, what is the timetable on his return, and how is that going to impact what you may or may not have to do to get a veteran option?
That's part of our job. Really unfortunate because I thought he was coming along. I was looking forward to him getting his offseason. I don't have a specific timetable. I'm sure it would be somewhere deep into next year for the injury, so... Had a good conversation with him. He knows this is part of his journey he's going to have to overcome.
I got a lot of faith in him and our staff to get him back ready to go whenever that is. But specific timetables, I don't have that right now.
Yeah, Ryan Poles told the truth there, didn't he? This is Rahimi Harrison-Groney on 104.3 The Score. And that is a big issue for the Bears because when we're talking about offseason needs, suddenly two positions where I feel like we've talked about them and maybe they thought that they had dressed them. And their expensive positions are still ones that we very much are discussing.
Number one is the constant discuss in need of a pass rush. You know, we've talked about Max Crosby ad nauseum. We will until anything happens. Bradley Chubb now being available. And then the other one is left tackle. And whether or not we like it. Ryan Poles is going to have to likely get a third bite at the apple when it comes to trying to draft a left tackle.
First, it was Braxton Jones, who may be available via a one-year prove-it deal or something along those lines, but the position is very high in demand. which is part of what we know. Two is Ozzie Trapillo, who really showed progress before he was injured with an injury that can be very difficult to time. Ryan Poles did not lie to you.
A torn patellar tendon, especially when you're 6'8", and you play a left tackle offensive lineman. Ozzie, of course, was on the right side before he moved to left, Mark. We know that that's something that can take a long time. Some people don't come back from it. At least Ozzie is young.
And we're looking at the Bears likely having to spend draft capital on another left tackle potential yet again.
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Chapter 2: What impact does Ozzie Trapillo's injury have on the Bears' strategy?
Well, no, a lot of people are saying Karan Amagaji is the fourth bite. But I don't I didn't even I wasn't even thinking about I wasn't either because I don't know that they ever set out to have him be a starting left tackle. Now I know he had to start. That's that's a different discussion. But when it comes to I think sometimes, you know, I know he was a third round pick.
But I feel like even then, you're probably drafting that guy, especially knowing that he was injured at the time and he played at Yale. Ivy League's a little bit different competition from, say, your Big Ten or your SEC. So I was still thinking that that was more of a developmental than it was a, you need him on the album cover, as Poles likes to say. But yeah, we can count him.
Okay, so that's four.
Yeah.
But I considered him more of a depth guy rather than perhaps a starter.
I mean, I'm still trying to figure out, can he play at all? Because we still don't really know about Karan Abagadji because we saw him get in, even though he might have been put in in some unfair spots. What was it, against Minnesota?
Yeah, at Minnesota.
At Minnesota. So he hasn't necessarily been put in positions to win, but considering he's a third-round pick and maybe he just gets bunched with Ryan Poles' mistakes of the past, as we were talking about in the meeting. Offensive line, ironically you could say, has been one of the bigger problems for Ryan Poles until last year and this past season.
And they went to the store. Yeah. They did the hard thing, because that's the beauty of having a quarterback on a rookie contract, is you can spend a lot of actual money to get, per se, the best quarterback. free agent center on the market in Drew Dallman. You can spend the money to get a guy like Joe Tooney and then extend him knowing that that's the intent. And good on them.
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Chapter 3: Who are the potential left tackle options for the Bears?
Ozzie Trapillo, and now he's not there. But that's where. It's Zipillo. Yeah, well, I was wondering when he was going to chime in about that.
Jeez, Chris Emma, we can't take you anywheres.
Poor Zipillo. Poor Emma.
That's also, to me, why it's not a done deal that Braxton Jones is going to be like, yeah, I'll give you guys a year. We just told you how hard it is to find quality, experienced left tackles. And he may not be the all-pro. Nobody's saying that. I've had my fair share of discussion about Braxton. I was always worried about his pad level and just the width of the base at which he was blocking.
But when it comes to positional availability, I mean, look how quickly it took for a guy like Tevin Jenkins, for example, to sign. I expect Braxton Jones will get a lot of attention in a free agent market for that very reason. Good offensive lineman. Even passable offensive lineman. A hard to find.
Leno, when he left the Bears in the previous seventh round pick, he landed right away.
And wasn't he somewhat of a cap casualty at the time?
Yeah, I think he was. And he was also, honestly, he just brought up Tevin Jenkins. He was also a Tevin Jenkins casualty.
casualty because that's when everybody thought oh okay you've drafted your guy you highly drafted player tevin jenkins there you have your left tackle and we know that that all imploded and tevin jenkins ended up being a guard and braxton jones the seventh rounder ended up being that pick or that guy fifth rounder fifth rounder yes yeah leto was the seventh jones was the fifth
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Chapter 4: How does the Bears' offensive line adapt to injuries?
But after that, once he was replaced, he was replaced.
Well, he's a good example of look what happens when a guy of that height and that size has a debilitating injury. You know, he had that broken ankle. And remember how he was still coming back from it? And he didn't even look like himself for a long time. And then ultimately, yes, ended up losing the job.
I think experience won out just because it was a new offense, too, and everybody was learning together. But that's why there's no guarantees here. Thank goodness Ozzie Trapillo is young. But we just don't know what we're going to get once he is able to play.
8-4-7, Bears at 25th pick should draft the best available at either left tackle, edge, or defensive tackle. I mean, right now at number 25, if I had my pick out of those, I'm still defense, though, by a hair or two.
Well, it's supposedly a very good class for a rusher, edge rusher. It is. But, you know, I believe Clay, too. Clay said this last week, Clay Harbor, when he was on with us. Let's also consider getting more interior rush. Doesn't always have to be perimeter.
Oh, I'd be okay with them drafting a defensive tackle.
Or maybe perhaps that's a cheaper position in free agency than edge rushers.
Yeah, and like is, you know, what's Grady Jarrett got left? Is Jervon Dexter? Are we just about out of time on Jervon Dexter?
You got two years left on Grady's deal, right? Wasn't it three?
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Chapter 5: What are the challenges of drafting a left tackle?
I held off because I just didn't think it was right for a broadcast discussion. But sometimes when everybody else is talking about it to a fever pitch, you have to as well. I'll just read the headline and I can't read everything because I'm not stupid. Plastic surgeon. You think I'm stupid? Pumps more drama into gate at Olympics with injection claim. If you haven't heard, get to know it next.