The Chicago Bears offensive line isn’t having the easiest time right now. Injuries have struck hard early in training camp. Rookie 2nd round pick Teven Jenkins is out with back tightness. Germain Ifedi has a hip flexor. James Daniels tweaked his quad. That is three projected starters down. The backups haven’t fared much better. Elijah Wilkinson went on the COVID-19 list. Then there is Larry Borom, the Bears’ 5th round pick who suffered a concussion.
That one is particularly unfortunate. Both because such injuries are no joke but also because it derails a considerable amount of momentum the rookie had been gaining. A serious buzz surrounds him. Former Bears guard Tom Thayer said Borom was the most impressive tackle in camp. Somebody he believes could end up being the team’s left tackle of the future. That is not a joke. He said those words, which for Thayer is saying a ton.
He isn’t the only one though.
Offensive line coach Juan Castillo played a big role in the Bears drafting Borom back in April. In the months they’ve worked together since? His admiration of the rookie has only grown. So much so that he indicated it isn’t health that Jenkins will have to worry about whenever he gets back. It will be the real threat of his fellow draft classmate unseating him for the starting job. Sean Hammond of Shaw Local caught the quote.
“He was already in a pretty good place,” Castillo said. “So that part I’m not really worried about. It’s just the thing is now, now you’ve got to come in and compete with Larry because Larry’s playing well. Elijah’s still in there, so there’s some good competition there.”
This isn’t an isolated thing. Even as far back as the draft, the Bears offered hints that they were much higher on Borom than people think. Both Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy have said they had 2nd or 3rd round grades on him. That is a clear indication they feel he can start in the NFL if given a chance. The fact Borom worked hard to drop over 40 lbs between the end of the college season and the draft says everything.
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Juan Castillo is a positive guy but he’s also good at what he does
He’s been doing this coaching of offensive linemen thing for over two decades now. In that time he has helped produce a lot of quality blockers in the NFL. One of his trademarks was being able to elevate less-heralded guys. Late round picks and undrafted free agents. Bears fans got a taste of that last season with both Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars. So Borom is in capable hands, and it seems there are big plans for him.
Juan Castillo is a grinder. He’ll give everything he has on the field and in the film room to help illustrate what it takes to have success. It comes down to whether the player embraces the necessary work and attention to detail. Something that is too often lost on offensive linemen in the NFL. It seems Borom got the message and is applying it on the field. If he can already go toe-to-toe with Khalil Mack in drills and not get steamrolled?
That is a good sign.
Hopefully, he will be back sooner than later so he can get some proper game experience this preseason. He and Jenkins both. It would be quite a story if the Bears somehow drafted their future starting tackles in the same draft on back-to-back picks. Things like that just don’t happen in the NFL.