Bears coach Ben Johnson barely noticed new left tackle Theo Benedet during the win over the Commanders on Monday, and that’s an upgrade given how much scheming he had to do to work around Braxton Jones’ struggles.
Benedet was solid in his first start at left tackle and will stay there Sunday against the Saints and for as long as he’s part of the solution to the Bears’ issues in pass protection and rushing attack like he was against the Commanders.
“The biggest compliment I could probably give him is I didn’t feel him out there,” Johnson said Wednesday. “As a play caller, that’s what you’re normally doing; ‘Hey, why’s a play breaking down?’ And if it’s a particular person, you’re looking to help him out somehow, and I never felt that with him last week.”
Benedet started at right tackle in Week 4 because Darnell Wright was injured, but Johnson pulled Jones mid-game and moved Benedet to his spot. With Wright recovered and Benedet impressing, they’ll be the starting tackles for the foreseeable future with right guard Jonah Jackson, center Drew Dalman and left guard Joe Thuney between them.
The Bears wanted to establish a starting five early in training camp and build cohesion, but the ongoing competition at left tackle thwarted that. Now they’ll try to get continuity with this group.
Within that, Benedet has been a great find by general manager Ryan Poles and gone from an undrafted rookie from Canada to an NFL left tackle after spending last season on the practice squad. Johnson said Wednesday his previous team, the Lions, underestimated Benedet’s potential even while drafting one of his teammates, guard Giovanni Manu, in the fourth round out of University of British Columbia last year.
“He’s tucked away in Canada — you can overlook some guys like that,” Johnson said. “Ryan and his crew did a phenomenal job identifying Theo. He’s got a lot of traits that you really like, athleticism, and that’s really translated.”
