LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- At the height of training camp in mid-August, Chicago Bears rookie Ozzy Trapilo had fallen out of the competition to start at left tackle. After weeks in a battle that included three others, the second-rounder "got out of whack," according to general manager Ryan Poles, and struggled to adjust to a position he had not played since 2022.
The Bears moved Trapilo back to his home base at right tackle, where he logged 1,467 snaps during his final two seasons (2023-24) at Boston College. Hitting a rookie wall didn't mean his chances of playing left tackle were over, but the 6-foot-8 lineman needed a reset.
So for the last three months, the Bears cross-trained Trapilo at both left and right tackle behind respective starters Theo Benedet and Darnell Wright.
When Benedet sustained a quad injury in practice on Nov. 20 and was forced to miss Chicago's 31-28 win over Pittsburgh, the Bears were confident in Trapilo's preparation, even with his first NFL start coming against a Pittsburgh defense that entered Week 12 with the most pass rush wins in the NFL (145).
"You've just gotta prepare like you're going to be the starter," Trapilo said. "That's the process that I take every week, just in case. You never know what's going to happen. The preparation's all the same."
The dividends of that preparation? One pressure allowed by Trapilo in 65 snaps.
"He didn't miss a beat there," coach Ben Johnson said. "Communication was really good between him and (left guard) Joe (Thuney). I think he did a nice job whenever he had help on his side of being slow to drag out, so he was helping out, being firm to the inside while allowing the guys outside of them do their job. Just the full understanding of the game plan and what we're trying to get done. It's a great start for him to build on."
Trapilo's development is a bright spot for a Bears offensive line that underwent major reconstruction in the offseason, and he isn't the only rookie who had to step in under adverse circumstances in Week 12. When Jonah Jackson sustained an eye injury and exited the game before returning in the third quarter, sixth-rounder Luke Newman filled in at right guard for 20 snaps.
The Bears' offensive line came away from the Steelers game with an 85% pass block win rate, their second highest in a game this season. Pittsburgh was able to pressure quarterback Caleb Williams on only eight of his 37 dropbacks (22%), the lowest rate Williams has faced in a game this season. That's a credit to the pass protection in front of the 24-year-old quarterback given Williams was 1-of-6 for 4 yards under duress and all three of his touchdown passes -- which came over the middle of the field from clean pockets -- came without pressure.
"The guys did a great job running great routes, and the O-line they did a helluva job," Williams said. "That one sack was on me, but they did a helluva job protecting me versus that D-line."
Trapilo and Newman were a part of an offensive line overhaul that began weeks into Johnson's tenure as head coach. To create the type of unit his offenses thrived off during three seasons as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, Johnson began building from the inside out via trades for Thuney and Jackosn and shelling out for center Drew Dalman in free agency last March.
What was once a glaring weakness for the Bears' offense is now arguably the strongest unit on the team. Chicago leads the league with a 73% pass block win rate this season and ranks fifth in run block win rate (73%) according to ESPN Analysis and Next Gen Stats.
"I think more than anything it's probably just the jelling of those guys," Johnson said. "They certainly understand the schemes that we're running at a higher level. We do try to help out sometimes with our backs or our receivers or our tight ends, whether it's presence or chips and nudges just to be as firm as we can be on the edges."
Few plays demonstrate that better than a designed run for Williams on fourth-and-1 from the Bears' 39-yard line in the second quarter. Williams picked up 8 yards after the interior of the O-line built a sturdy wall on the inside while Cole Kmet pinned down Pittsburgh linebacker Nick Herbig, who was lined up directly over the tight end.
Along with running back D'Andre Swift laying a block outside, that protection around Williams sparked a conversion on the play and an 11-play drive that ended with Williams finding rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a 12-yard touchdown.
The Bears' offensive line also deserves credit for getting Steelers defensive end Jack Sawyer to jump offsides in the third quarter. Dalman effectively timed his snap so Williams could take advantage of the free play and find wide receiver DJ Moore for a 25-yard touchdown.
"I think good execution by everybody knowing kind of what was going to dictate whether we snapped it or not," Dalman said. "Then a good job by Caleb selling it throughout the game. That stuff isn't, it happens on one play but it's really set up throughout the course of the rhythm of the cadence and things like that throughout the game. So good job by him and great job by the receivers of responding."