Overview
- Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Tuesday that Trapilo could potentially return before training camp ends, signaling a clearer and earlier timeline than teams expected in spring.
- Head coach Ben Johnson said Trapilo has been ahead of schedule in rehab and that it is possible he will be able to practice before the regular season begins.
- Trapilo tore his patellar tendon in the playoff win over Green Bay in January, an injury once projected to sideline him for most or all of 2026 but now described by multiple reporters and team officials as improving faster than expected.
- Braxton Jones has missed recent practices with a minor injury, which has led to Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie rotating with the first unit and kept the left-tackle competition unsettled despite Trapilo's progress.
- The team is weighing roster and transaction consequences because padded practices are needed to prepare a returning lineman, and the updated timetable reduces near-term urgency to sign an outside veteran and affects PUP/reserve planning for the season opener.