Terron Armstead was one of the best left tackles in the NFL for a considerable stretch of the past decade. The five-time Pro Bowler anchored the blindside during the last great years of Drew Brees and the best years of Tua Tagovailoa. Injuries that shortened his career might be the only reason he won’t reach the Hall of Fame. He was that good. Still, that doesn’t mean the 34-year-old can’t contribute to the game he loves in other ways. One of them is taking on the role of mentor and personal coach for the younger generation.
It appears no team is taking advantage of that more than the Chicago Bears. It was already common knowledge that Armstead had been working with Braxton Jones all offseason on getting his conditioning and fundamentals right for what is easily the most important season of his career. Now, some of his teammates have decided to take advantage of Armstead’s expertise. Among them are right tackle Darnell Wright, left tackle Theo Benedet, and tackle Kiran Amegadjie.
Terron Armstead is likely acting at the behest of another.
It isn’t a coincidence that many of his understudies are Bears. Their offensive line coach is Dan Roushar. His rise to prominence came in New Orleans with the Saints in the late 2010s. That was right when Armstead was playing his best football. Roushar has stated he considers the former left tackle “the standard” by which all others are measured. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he encouraged all of the team’s prominent tackles to spend their breaktime before training camp getting some lessons.
Most people believe Armstead’s success came from his elite athleticism and mobility. While that was part of it, he was never given enough credit for how much of a technician he became. From his hands down to his feet, everything was in sync. He was a student of the game, always having counters for anything opposing pass rushers threw at him. This is often the last hurdle many young blockers never clear. They have the talent. They don’t do the homework to become masters of the craft.
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Nobody can say the Bears players aren’t motivated.
Wright has no reason to seek out Terron Armstead for help. He was already a second-team All-Pro last season and is one of the best right tackles in football. It shows you how committed he is as a worker that he’s willing to put in the extra time. Credit must also go to Amegadjie. Everybody has written the former 3rd round pick off as a lost cause after a frustrating second season. He clearly hasn’t given up. Otherwise, he would just be going through the motions preparing for training camp.
It will be fascinating to see what the players glean from Armstead’s workouts. Some players don’t really know how to instruct because they only know how to play the way that made them successful. Still, Armstead has always been lauded for his intelligence. It shouldn’t be difficult for him to give pointers that everybody can utilize, even if they may not have his natural skills. Don’t be surprised if guys are a little bit sharper this season than they might’ve been in 2025.
