The Chicago Bears offensive line wasn’t considered the strength on that side of the ball. However, nobody expected them to be a glaring weakness. The unit performed quite well over the second half of 2023. They paved the way for the #2 rushing attack in the league and were giving Justin Fields adequate time. Coming into 2024, they were bringing back four of their five starters. If nothing else, continuity should’ve ensured things would remain stable this season.
Instead, it has been nothing but a monumental cluster you-know-what. They’ve allowed 16 sacks in four games and blocked for one of the NFL’s worst rushing attacks. There are various reasons for this. Nate Davis significantly regressed at right guard, if that were possible. Darnell Wright has battled a back injury since training camp. Everybody has committed frequent mental errors. Perhaps the most frustrating part is their continued inadequacy at center, where Coleman Shelton has looked outmatched way too often. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune believes a change is coming.
It is only a couple of weeks away.
“One thought is that if the plan is to insert Ryan Bates at center after he returns from injured reserve — my best guess is the Bears will consider that after the bye week — it’s possible they don’t want a revolving door at the position with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams going from Shelton to Kramer and then to Bates in just a few weeks.
Bates was placed on IR after the season opener, so he’s on the shelf for at least one more week. With the next game in London against the Jaguars, I’ve thought the Bears might wait until Week 8 to open the 21-day window for Bates to return to the 53-man roster, as that would come on the heels of the Week 7 bye.”
The Chicago Bears offensive line has been skating by on patches.
To date, GM Ryan Poles has only invested one high draft choice in the group. That was Wright, who was a 1st round pick last year. Shelton was a free agent, as was Nate Davis. Braxton Jones was a 5th round pick two years ago. Teven Jenkins was a 2nd rounder, but he was inherited from the previous regime. In truth, it shouldn’t be overly surprising that the line looks inadequate. If you look at teams like Detroit and Minnesota, they have invested multiple 1st and 2nd round picks into their offensive lines. Chicago hasn’t done that in a long time.
Poles rightly deserves criticism for this. While he did a tremendous job overhauling the defense and adding more playmakers on offense, his ignorance of the Chicago Bears offensive line is rather surprising. After all, he played the position himself once upon a time, as did assistant GM Ian Cunningham. Unfortunately, they can’t do anything to fix it until next off-season. Until then, adding Ryan Bates to the mix is their best option. He’s bigger than Shelton and has good strength and decent athleticism.
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This was likely their original plan, but injuries got in the way. Hopefully, it can make a difference.
