In the midst of another disappointing loss, the Chicago Bears had some reasons for optimism. By far the biggest was Justin Fields. The young quarterback took another step forward in his development, delivering the best performance of his career with 175 yards passing, 103 yards rushing, and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers. While the afternoon belonged to him, he wasn’t the only rookie who stood out for positive reasons.
Week 8 almost marked the first start for 5th round pick Larry Borom. The young offensive tackle out of Missouri turned a lot of heads in training camp with how fast he was progressing. So much that the coaches decided to move him to left tackle. He had a chance to play in the opener against Los Angeles after Jason Peters left with an injury. Sadly, a freak accident saw him suffer a high ankle sprain.
That knocked him out for the next six games.
He finally returned last week. One would think the Bears would look to ease him into things until he got his legs under him, right? Nope. After just five practices, the team chose to start him at right tackle for the game against San Francisco. His first-ever start would involve blocking their star defensive end Nick Bosa most of the afternoon. All things considered? The rookie did a hell of a job.
Bosa lined up against him 46 times total during the game. Borom surrendered just two pressures on Fields for the entire game. One of them was a sack but still. Considering he was back after six weeks on the shelf with just five practices to prepare and limited experience? The Bears couldn’t have asked for much more than that kind of performance. It was further proof that the team may indeed have a future long-term starter on their hands.
Chicago Bears have reasons for optimism amidst tough season
Fields is the story for this team and will be the rest of the year. However, the rest of the 2021 draft class is coming into focus as well. Running back Khalil Herbert has already established himself as a legitimate threat. He has now rushed for 344 yards in the past four games. Suddenly the Bears appear to have not one but two genuine threats at running back. Now it seems Borom might be starting to emerge as well.
If he can hold his own against somebody like Bosa in his first start? Logic dictates he will only get better with experience. Fans are excited to see what will happen when fellow rookie tackle Teven Jenkins returns as well. The 2nd round pick went on Injured Reserve before the season due to back surgery. His rehab appears to have gone well as teammate Jason Peters said he should start practicing in “a couple of weeks.”
Think about the prospects of this.
It already looks like the Chicago Bears have landed a genuine quarterback in Fields. If they somehow managed to snag not one but two future starting tackles in Borom and Jenkins? They can be in line for a swifter rebuild than people think over the next year or two. All they’d have to do is find more receivers, a new center, and retool the defense. Hopefully, Borom continues to excel. It would make for a great story.