Forgotten Bears option earns first crack at left tackle in preseason opener

Who will start at left tackle for the Chicago Bears remains one of the biggest questions the franchise must answer before Week 1. With Braxton Jones picking up an injury, Chicago is now taking a look at their other options at the position.

In the Bears’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, Kiran Amegadjie will be starting at left tackle, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. He will split reps with Jedrick Wills Jr, with the franchise hoping to get them an equal amount of snaps.

“Kiran Amegadjie is expected to be the starter at left tackle in Saturday’s preseason opener. Plan is to get close to even reps with Jedrick Wills,” Briggs wrote. “O-line coach Dan Roushar called their work pretty even to this point and the coaches want more to evaluate.”

Chicago will be resting a number of starters in their preseason opener, so who knows if Jones would’ve played if fully healthy. But now, Amegadjie has an opportunity to prove his worth. For head coach Ben Johnson, he wants to see the tackle compete and show he can hold his own at left tackle, via his Thursday press conference.

“We want to see guys compete,” Johnson said. “We want to see guys playing fast. It’s all of it, run game, pass game. I don’t think there’s anything specific, we want to see consistency. See guys go out there and compete.”

Kiran Amegadjie earns crucial opportunity 

Amegadjie was originally a third-round pick by the Bears back in 2024. He appeared in six games that season, starting one. But due to injuries and other options surpassing him on the depth chart, the tackle hasn’t appeared in a game since.

Injuries have now given Amegadjie an opportunity to step back into a starting role. While it may be the preseason, it may be his only chance to show he could handle a starting role if called upon. The Bears will certainly be watching his performance under a microscope.

The same goes for Wills, who should see a sizable amount of snaps. While the Bears have made plenty of strides with their offensive line, left tackle remains a question mark. They’ll hope Week 1 of the preseason starts giving them some answers at the position.

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