The Chicago Bears’ highly touted second-round pick has yet to take a single snap in the 2025 NFL season — and now head coach
Ben Johnson has revealed why.
Despite joining the Bears with sky-high expectations, the rookie offensive tackle has found himself watching from the sidelines as a disciplinary decision from the coaching staff continues to keep him inactive.
“He’s got talent, no doubt,” Johnson said during Friday’s press conference. “But in Chicago, discipline defines who gets on the field. He missed reads, skipped assignments, and didn’t prepare the way we demand. Around here, you don’t play because you’re gifted — you play because you’re ready to be a Bear.”
The rookie in question is Ozzy Trapilo, a 6-foot-8, 315-pound offensive tackle out of Boston College, drafted by the Bears in the second round (56th overall) of the
Trapilo signed a four-year, $7.2 million contract on June 10, 2025, including a $2.1 million signing bonus. His deal came later than expected, as contract negotiations extended several weeks past the initial rookie signing wave in May. By the time training camp arrived, Trapilo was seen as a strong contender to compete for starting reps on the offensive line.
However, according to team insiders, the Bears’ coaching staff grew frustrated with the rookie’s lack of attention to detail. Reports indicate Trapilo missed key blocking assignments, failed to study protection schemes thoroughly
, and didn’t show the level of mental focus expected of a starting-caliber lineman in Johnson’s new system.
Since taking over in Chicago, Ben Johnson has made it clear that his vision for the Bears is built on accountability and preparation, not potential.
“We’re establishing a standard here,” he added. “If you’re not locked in, if you’re not giving full effort in practice, then you’re not ready to represent this team on Sundays.”
For now, Trapilo remains inactive on game days, focusing on improving his discipline and playbook execution under offensive line coach Chris Morgan. While the team still believes in his long-term upside, coaches have emphasized that earning trust comes before earning snaps.
Trapilo’s combination of size, athleticism, and strength still makes him a key piece for Chicago’s future. But in a locker room reshaped under Johnson’s leadership, every player — rookie or veteran — must prove they embody the “Bear standard.”
As Johnson summed it up bluntly: “Talent gets you drafted. But discipline — that’s what earns you the right to play for the Chicago Bears.”
Last week, amongst the fray of the Tennessee Titans many issues and struggles on the field, the franchise came face-to-face with a personnel issue beyond it; not only that, but it took place in an entirely different state. L’Jarius Sneed, ne of the team’s go-to defensive veterans, in spite of injuries that have kept his playing time limited to spurts, was indicted in Texas on an issue stemming back to the final month of last year.
On December 6, 2024, cornerback Sneed and Tekonzae Warmek Williams — who is said to be Sneed’s personal assistant -— were each indicted for allegedly firing a weapon at a car dealership in the Lone Star State. While Sneed claimed to Titans’ Paul Kuharsky that is he no longer affiliated with Williams, his plea only appears less and less likely in light of consistent new information. The latest of which is perhaps the most telling.
As the Titans division duel with the Houston Texas (ironically enough) approaches this weekend, a new break regarding Sneed’s situation has hit the news waves. Reportedly, just minutes prior to the aforementioned alleged shooting, surveillance video captured the CB driving in a car in the immediate relevant area.
In an article by AP Pro Football writer Teresa Walker, it is stated that Sneed “can be seen getting out of the Lamborghini, then using crutches to walk past the men [who were shot at] and up stairs into the dealership at 3:22 p.m. on that date. Sneed walks out about a minute later in the video.”
Further, Sneed “also can be seen in separate surveillance video at a gas station at the same time as the two men. In the video, Sneed walks in from a gas pump, goes to a register and then walks back to the same car when Christian Nshimiyimana and Avi Ahmed were inside.”
“Detectives also confirmed Sneed’s identity from surveillance video from several locations,” Walker said.
How this instance will impact the Titans’ defensive secondary means very little; not only because the team has gone so long without him in the rotation already, but because the severity of the issue, and the mounting negative evidence within it, suggests that the team may be better off entirely regardless of the impending resolution.
With new evidence unfolding on a daily basis, it’ll likely be a while before Tennessee knows Sneed’s future either way. All that can be done now is to assume that he won’t return on focus on winning with what remains.