Bears trying to salvage career of former Browns tackle Jedrick Wills Jr.

General manager Ryan Poles declared "there's a lot going on at the left tackle position," which figures to be the case into training camp and probably the preseason for the Chicago Bears. Barring something unexpected, it will be the most significant job battle when training camp opens, and legitimate evaluation of linemen doesn't take place until players are in full pads. It's not unlike the spot the franchise found itself in last offseason, sorting through a handful of options to play the position. There's an injured player in the mix again, this time Ozzy Trapilo, who will miss at least a good chunk of the season as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. The Bears probably need to prepare for the possibility that Trapilo, a second-round pick in 2025, won't be in the mix until 2027. The difference this time around is the coaching staff has two experienced players to evaluate: Braxton Jones, who signed his one-year contract Friday, and Jedrick Wills Jr., a first-round pick (No. 10) of the Browns in 2020. Add Theo Benedet, who made eight starts last season, including seven at left tackle, and even Kiran Amegadjie into the mix and it's unlikely the Bears will look at a left tackle with their first-round draft pick next month. Chances are the team will be seeking help for the defense. The organization hasn't drafted a defender in Round 1 since linebacker Roquan Smith was the No. 8 pick in 2018. Poles' first three picks in each of the last two drafts were on offense. Maybe it's not ideal, but the Bears were not in position to make a splash move at left tackle and were seeking a bridge player to handle the role until Trapilo can be evaluated further to see if he's a legitimate long-term option on that side. Jones, who turns 27 on March 27, got the first crack at the job last season but was still working his way back from surgery to repair a fractured fibula. His strength wasn't where it needed to be, and he wound up being benched just before halftime of the Week 4 game in Las Vegas. "I'd like to see him get back healthy, to compete for that spot," Poles said. Poles, who drafted Jones in the fifth round in 2022 out of Utah State, knows what the player looks like when healthy. The coaching staff has yet to see that version. Jones signed a one-year contract that includes a $2 million base salary, $1.5 million signing bonus, $480,000 workout bonus and $60,000 per game spent on the active roster ($1.02 million maximum). That's $5 million that is available with an additional $5 million possible in incentives tied to playing time and the postseason. It's a good deal for Jones as his market wasn't robust coming off a rough season that included a stint on injured reserve for a minor knee injury. He's motivated to earn a multiyear contract with an eye toward free agency a year from now. Wills is also on a prove-it contract after sitting out all last season to recover from a right knee injury that became significantly worse than just a torn MCL originally suffered in November 2023. The Bears' selling point to Wills, who had some interest from other teams, was straightforward. "Basically just opportunity," Wills said. "They wanted to have me here on the roster and they're giving me another chance to play. Basically, just competition coming in and trying to prove what I can do and see where that takes me." The Bears got Wills for the minimum — his one-year contract is a veteran-salary benefit deal for $1.215 million with no signing bonus and includes a waiver for his knee, according to a league source. Wills, who will be 27 in May, said he wound up with minimal damage to multiple ligaments but added there was an alignment issue that led to an osteotomy that involved the femur. "My knee is healthy," Wills said. "It took a little bit longer than just a regular injury but doing better now." Wills, who was a right tackle at Alabama but played exclusively left tackle in Cleveland, made 57 starts for the Browns but has only 12 since the start of the 2023 season. The Bears are taking a no-risk chance on Wills, who was a serviceable starter before the knee injury. One pro personnel director, reviewing his evaluation of Wills in 2024, noted he moved in space well, which makes him a potential fit for Ben Johnson's offense, but said he struggled at times in pass pro and could be overpowered. Maybe it's a long shot Wills will work his way back into the player with traits that made him the second tackle selected in 2020, three spots ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tristan Wirfs. But putting Wills with offensive line coach Dan Roushar and assistant Kyle DeVan is worth a shot for the Bears. "He's a guy that we want Dan and Kyle to lean into," Poles said. "We have phenomenal offensive line coaches, two really good ones that do a fantastic job developing players. They're going to lean into Jedrick, spend time with him. We think there is a connection there between our coaches and him. "He's willing to put in the work. We have an unbelievable performance staff that's going to help him get his body right so he can compete at high level." Based on the contracts, Jones should enter spring as the favorite to win the job. But he has much to prove himself, starting with being healthy. True competition won't crank up until the pads go on. With a little good fortune, perhaps Johnson will feel better about whoever the frontrunner is by mid-August. That's when he said last year that the left tackle job was almost a week-to-week proposition and hinted the Week 5 bye might be used to reevaluate things. As it turned out, Jones didn't make it to the bye as the starter, and the Bears wound up using four starting left tackles when Joe Thuney moved outside from left guard for the divisional-round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. "We want guys to rise to the level and at some point, when we get to September, someone is going to take that job," Poles said. "I'm excited to see how that works out." If the Bears can get Jones at the level he was at pre-injury in 2024 or Wills to where he was before injuries derailed his time in Cleveland, they likely will be better off at left tackle than they were all last season, when they had to devise too many game plans to account for issues on the blind side of quarterback Caleb Williams.