Thursday, March 28, 2024

Chicago Bears O-Line Just Got Good News And Bad News

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The Chicago Bears are about to face arguably the best defense in the NFL on Sunday, led by the best pass rush. The Dallas Cowboys have 29 sacks this season. So it isn’t the best time for a team to have offensive line issues. Having already lost Lucas Patrick to Injured Reserve with a toe injury, the Bears got more bad news on Friday. Right tackle Larry Borom missed his third consecutive practice and was declared out for Sunday with a concussion.

That means veteran Riley Reiff will likely take his place for the game. While not ideal, it’s at least nice having a longtime veteran with so much starting experience able to step in. That said, not everything was bad. Chicago announced they have activated former 1st round pick Alex Leatherwood from the NFI list. That means he will be able to lend a hand this weekend and moving forward. The timing is welcome, given their depth issues.

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The Chicago Bears OL hasn’t been 100% all year.

Patrick played limited snaps through the first few weeks due to a hand injury. Then once he was finally healthy, Cody Whitehair hurt his knee and has been on IR ever since. Now Borom joins the cast of walking wounded. Considering how limited this group was on paper, this isn’t a situation the Bears wanted. Justin Fields is one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. Now he has to face Micah Parson and DeMarcus Lawrence without his best pass-protecting tackle.

It is hard to tell what Reiff can offer the Chicago Bears. He hasn’t been the player he was five years ago. Those are the consequences of getting older. He can’t move like he used to. That is why it is a fair assumption the Bears will focus on running the football a lot on Sunday. It is what they do best and the only way they can reasonably keep Fields safe.

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aj smith
aj smith
Oct 29, 2022 8:31 am

How about trading Jenkins to a real team and start that shit OL Leatherwood.

David
Reply to  Thomas Gena
Oct 28, 2022 8:03 pm

Much of that was when they left him on an island at Tackle with an extremely undisciplined team with a coach creating a bunch of off the field headlines etc. Once he moved to OG like Jenkins he played much better. He won offense of lineman of the year in all of college football going vs studs in the SEC his last year in college. The guy has serious skills. With the teachers the Bears have and the accountability they hold their players to I think he will thrive for us. He didn't just forget how to play. Sometimes a… Read more »

David
Reply to  Darin Wybourn
Oct 28, 2022 7:59 pm

Wouldn't hurt to give it a try, but he was an awful center when he played it before. Maybe he's learned a thing or two since then?

GrinBearIt
GrinBearIt
Oct 28, 2022 7:47 pm

I’d rather see Dieter at OC before they move Whitehair back there.

Martin Melhus
Martin Melhus
Oct 28, 2022 4:39 pm

Leatherwood had a bad run with the Raiders, no doubt. But he was likely out of position (much like Jenkins was – couldn’t beat out Borom at RT, but is playing pro-bowl caliber at guard), and he wasn’t coached properly – at Alabama, he just beat people with power and had success. In the NFL, you need power and technique, and the hope is that our coaches can teach him that and he can be successful. If not, it’s a 6 million dollar cap hit in a year where we are well under the cap. All in all a worthwhile… Read more »

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