Bears Caught Sniffing Around Potential Ozzy Trapilo Clone — And What It Means
If there is one thing we have learned about Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson in his time as a prominent coach, it’s that he loves size at the tackle position. It started with the 6’5″, 331 lbs Penei Sewell in Detroit. Then it hit another gear last spring with the 6’8″, 316 lbs Ozzy Trapilo in the 2nd round. While size isn’t the only factor in making successful NFL tackles, it does play a big role. They tend to handle power better, not being so easy to drive back and can use their extended length to wall off pass rushers. It’s such that they don’t have to be elite athletes to succeed.
Trapilo proved that last year. After a disappointing training camp in which he lost the battle for the starting left tackle spot, Trapilo rebounded to take the job midway through the season. He showed rapid improvement every week and was playing some of his best football going into the playoffs. Then he tore the patella in his knee, putting his future in question. Now the Bears have to think about alternatives. It appears they might have one in mind, and he’s the spitting image of Trapilo. Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports had more.
Offensive line coaches from the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans were on hand for a pair of Memphis blockers.
Tackle/guard Chris Adams, who was so banged up last season that many wondered why he was playing, soldiered through testing and drills despite still being less than 100 percent recovered from ankle and quad injuries. Adams met with all the offensive line coaches on hand and is getting interest from the New Orleans Saints at guard.
Travis Burke, who missed games late last season with an ankle injury, sat on his combine marks and looked good in position drills.
Travis Burke is the spitting image of Ozzy Trapilo.
He’s 6’9″ and 325 lbs with 34-inch arms. His 5.17 in the 40 at the scouting combine was among the most impressive runs of the event. In fact, his numbers are almost identical to Trapilo’s. Evaluators see a big and physical player who makes his presence felt in the running game, both with power and violence. Like most giant tackles, he isn’t the quickest guy for his position, and that can lead to struggles against faster edge rushers. However, he doesn’t have the length necessary to compensate for it.
Burke hasn’t gotten much buzz ahead of the draft because his 2025 season ended early because of an ankle injury. Coming from a less high-profile program also doesn’t help. Still, there is enough on tape to make one think he has the building blocks of a starting tackle in the league. He held up well against prominent programs like Arkansas and Florida State over the past two years. The Bears likely see the same potential in him as they saw with Trapilo last year.
This also shows the Bears aren’t looking at a tackle early.
Current projections have Burke going on day three of the draft. Likely somewhere between the 4th and 5th rounds. This is the first offensive tackle they’ve met in any meaningful capacity. None of the prominent names in this draft class have been mentioned. That either means they’ve been keeping their interest incredibly concealed or, more likely, they aren’t planning to draft one early. The Bears already brought back Braxton Jones on a one-year deal and signed former 1st round pick Jedrick Willis as a free agent. Both have starting experience.
It feels like they will be part of a competition for the left tackle job this summer. Drafting somebody like Burke would provide depth and developmental upside. More than anything, it provides hope that Ozzy Trapilo will return and have a chance to pick up where he left off last season. The Bears still believe he can be that long-term option at left tackle. It also means they are willing to keep taking swings in the meantime, not content until they find their guy.