For any recipe to achieve maximum deliciousness, there can't be any missing ingredients. A deep dish pizza needs the right cheese and sauce. A Chicago-style hot dog needs the pickle and celery salt. The Chicago Bears are hoping to cook up something special this year, but if they want any chance of turning around decades of mediocrity, they're going to need to take care of Caleb Williams.
The Bears failed Williams, the number one overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, in numerous ways in his rookie season. They paired him with a coach in Matt Eberflus who achieved the unique distinction of being the only head coach in Bears history to be fired midseason. They hired Shane Waldron to be his offensive coordinator, a mistake so egregious that Williams had to watch tape all year with no guidance whatsoever.
As bad as Eberflus and Waldron were, the worst way the Bears failed the new face of their franchise was that they didn't protect him. General manager Ryan Poles went bargain shopping on the offensive line, and injuries did the rest. Williams started every game, but he was sacked a league-worst 68 times.
Fans have been right to criticize the way the Bears have handled their uber-talented young quarterback's development, but to their credit, every issue has been addressed this offseason. Ben Johnson was hired to replace Eberflus, and it's clear already that he's an enormous upgrade from a discipline and accountability standpoint. Johnson is also one of the most revered playcallers and offensive innovators in the game, whereas Eberflus devoted his attention to the defensive side of the ball.
The offensive line is nearly unrecognizable from the one that Williams counted on last year. Darnell Wright, the only member of the line that can honestly say he had a quality season, is back and locked in at right tackle.
The interior line has been upgraded across the board. Drew Dalman was the top free agent center on the market, and the Bears snagged him for three years and $42 million. Joe Thuney, who made First Team All-Pro last year, was procured from the Chiefs for the low price of a fourth-round pick, and he's since been given a two-year extension. Jonah Jackson also came over via trade from the Rams, for just a sixth-round pick.
The one question mark on the line is, admittedly, the most important spot there is: left tackle. That's not to say that the Bears didn't address it, because they did. Braxton Jones is a solid tackle, but his status is in question as he recovers from a broken fibula that he suffered at the end of last season. If he's not ready to go, there are two options on the roster to replace him.
One is Kiran Amegadjie, the second-year player out of Yale. Amegadjie's rookie development was stunted by an offseason injury recovery of his own, and when he was called upon in Jones' absence during a Monday night road tilt with the Vikings, he looked understandably overwhelmed.
Amegadjie took first-team reps to start OTAs, but the Bears have now given a look to second-round draft pick Ozzy Trapilo, a 6-foot-7 teddy bear with a mean streak out of Boston College. The results have been extremely promising.
Ozzy Trapilo could be the secret key to this Bears season
Everything we've heard about Ozzy Trapilo has been great. His college tape is outstanding, and he seems to be an extremely high-character guy. His measurables are also excellent, and he was a four-year starter in college. How exactly were the Bears able to get him with the 56th pick?
Ryan Poles had this to say of Trapilo on a recent episode of 1920 Football Drive: "We just knew that he was dependable, he was smart, he was tough. Someone that's going to compete for a starting tackle job, regardless of if it's the right or the left."
Ben Johnson has praised Trapilo's intelligence and his advanced ability to absorb the playbook quickly. Football fans are used to hearing glowing things in the summer, but this seems to be more than that. The Bears love Trapilo, and at this point, it looks like he has a real shot to be the starter at left tackle.
The Bears have given Caleb Williams the best offensive coach money could buy. They've spared no expense at center and both guard positions. They even brought in a quarter of new pass-catchers to join DJ Moore and Rome Odunze in Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay.
In theory, the Bears look like a team to be reckoned with this year, but we see good teams get done in by a leak on the O-line all the time. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and if the Williams' blind side is being protected by a compromised Braxton Jones or a not-ready-for-primetime Kiran Amegadjie, then all the other moves Ryan Poles made this offseason will be diminished.
Trapilo seems to have everything you'd want in a left tackle. If he continues to impress and earns the job, there'll be no reason that Williams shouldn't completely rewrite the franchise record books this year.