Bears Finally Detailed Why Ozzy Trapilo Was Pulled From LT Competition
If you listened to people watching the beginning of the Chicago Bears training camp, the comments were mostly the same. Rookie 2nd round pick Ozzy Trapilo looked like the favorite in the left tackle competition. Braxton Jones still didn’t look 100% from his season-ending injury last year. Kiran Amegadjie suffered one of his own early in camp. Trapilo seemed calm, composed, and solid. However, everything changed after the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins. Trapilo was suddenly removed from the competition altogether. Theo Benedet took his place, battling Jones for the job the rest of August.
Since then, the Bears haven’t provided a clear answer on what happened. All they’ve said is they felt Trapilo’s progress had slowed. Rather than let him fight it out the rest of camp, they relegated him back to right tackle, opening the door for Benedet. Finally, after almost two months, we got some details. Dan Wiederer of The Athletic spoke to offensive line coach Dan Roushar about the rookie tackle. He laid out the details of what had happened and why the team felt it was best to return him to his original position.
“Down deep, I think there was a comfort factor missing,” Roushar said. “And I think in the transition from college to the NFL, fundamentally, he had started to lose himself a little
. With that, sometimes you become very reactionary rather than action-oriented — to your set spot, to throwing your hands, to striking. Those things started to dissipate.“As it continued to go that way,
we thought the best thing for him was to reset his mind, bring him back to the right side and see growth.”
Ozzy Trapilo wasn’t ready. This is hardly uncommon.
When you play most of your football career at one specific position, it becomes ingrained in your DNA. That is why when many plays are asked to uproot from all of that, it can be jarring. You slowly lose confidence in your ability because everything is unfamiliar to you. It sounds like that is what happened with Ozzy Trapilo. Rather than forge ahead, hoping he eventually gets it, the Bears opted to reverse course and keep him where he was comfortable.
It seems like the right decision. Benedet has become a quality addition to the starting lineup at left tackle, while Trapilo filled in nicely for an injured Darnell Wright in Las Vegas. Having high-quality depth is never a bad thing. Unfortunately, some Bears fans are frustrated because the team spent a 2nd round pick on Trapilo. That is supposed to be reserved for players who become starters. Wright isn’t losing his spot anytime soon, which means Trapilo will either have to give left tackle another try. Otherwise, he’s stuck on the bench.
Giants defense leaves Justin Fields with a message for the rest of the NFL
Just when you thought Odell Beckham Jr. might be calling it a career after a fake retirement post went viral, the
Related: Surprising Odell Beckham Jr. twist could push Giants toward unexpected move
What started off with a light social media response, “Not done yet… thanks for hr concerns and have a blessed day.” Quickly turned into, “Stop texting me happy retirement b4 u piss me off.” You can't really blame people for taking the bait. OBJ has been a shell of his former self these past couple of seasons. Last year's nine receptions for 55 yards in nine games was... not necessarily encouraging.
Still, even with all that retirement nonsense resolved, it's not like teams are lining up to sign the soon-to-be 33-year-old. Or maybe they are? Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the 10-year veteran has several teams interested in his services, and he plans on playing
Odell Beckham Jr. (confirmed Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin fan) could be headed to Pittsburgh
During an appearance on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, OBJ spoke fondly of Rodgers. Their relationship isn't bound to the gridiron, and with speculation swirling around his next move, his comments are worth a revisit:
"Love him, love him," Beckham said about Rodgers. "We've had conversations. I won't say that it's not a possibility [signing with the Steelers], and I won't say that I haven't had any communication."
But it wasn't only his love for Rodgers that piqued the attention of football fans. His respect and admiration for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was really the turning point:
"I f***ing love [Mike] Tomlin. I was actually supposed to be drafted to the Steelers. That was the meeting that I had where I was like, 'I think I'm going to the Steelers.'"
Read between the lines all you want, but there's clearly a long-storied attachment to Pittsburgh, one that goes wayyyy back to 2014 when Beckham was drafted. That's crazy.
OBJ heading to Pittsburgh would be hilarious. Imagine Rodgers hitching his wagon to this version of what was once the league’s most electrifying player. If this were 10 years ago, they would be a problem. However, it's clear as day that Father Time has taken a toll on both of their bodies.
Funny enough, the 41-year-old quarterback was reportedly sniffing around MetLife Stadium in the offseason, looking for a potential offer. It was pretty clear he only wanted the G-Men to get back at the Jets for canning him. Thankfully, Joe Schoen didn't want the headache and went with Russell Wilson instead.
That's not to say pairing up with a future Hall of Famer like Rodgers would be a bad move. It's just more so, what would be different this time around? He's arguably the biggest "what-if" player in recent memory.
Does this mean fans should expect the former All-Pro receiver to don the Black and gold? Not exactly, but it's not something to completely ignore either. Since his sudden reappearance from the shadows, there's been some speculation that he could make his way back to East Rutherford. Though that feels unlikely.
Still, OBJ's a media master. He didn't personally and publicly call out Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin for no reason. It'll be interesting to see if anything develops further. If nothing else, Beckham’s still elite at doing one thing: keeping himself in the conversation.
