The Bears know who their quarterback will be this season, but they’re still sorting out who will be protecting Caleb Williams’s blindside.
Braxton Jones is the incumbent starter, but head coach Ben Johnson opened the spot up for competition in training camp. Kiran Amegadjie and second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo were in the mix at the start and Theo Benedet has been receiving first-team reps recently. Benedet was undrafted in 2024 and spent the season on the Bears’ practice squad.
On Friday, Johnson said the team would “love to go ahead and solidify that spot” but that they’re waiting for someone to make an undeniable case for the job.
“This thing has gone on now three-and-a-half weeks,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “I said and I’ll say it again, we’ll go as long as we need to go to find the right guy. But we’d like to see someone go ahead and make it clear to us that he is that guy, and we just haven’t seen that yet as a staff. There’s been too much up and down.”
Sunday’s game against the Bills could move the Bears closer to a decision, although Johnson cautioned that the Week 1 starter might not be “final for the season” but the best-case scenario for the Bears would be one of the candidates doing just what Johnson said the team wants him to do.
