The Chicago Bears have an issue with their offensive line. With training camp three weeks away, they only have two spots locked in with starters. Lucas Patrick will play center, and Cody Whitehair is the left guard. Every other spot is to be determined. It looks like left and right tackle will come down to a combination of Larry Borom, Teven Jenkins, and Braxton Jones. The biggest concern facing the team might be right guard. They already had no clear starter before veteran Dakota Dozier injured his knee. GM Ryan Poles has to consider alternatives. Max Scharping is one of them.
The trick is finding somebody that is solid but also young and cheap. Such parameters make it difficult for the Bears. Scharping might be one that fits the profile. The former 3rd round pick is 25 years old and spent last season playing right guard for the Houston Texans. He was reliable enough, allowing just 19 pressures in 400 pass-blocking snaps. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report believes the turnover in Houston has made him a likely trade candidate.
“Desirable trade targets aren’t exactly plentiful in Houston. But teams are always searching for experienced offensive line depth, and Max Scharping fits the bill.
Scharping started 33 games over his first three seasons, though a transition appears to be occurring along the Texans’ offensive interior. Beyond Green’s selection in the draft, Houston signed veterans A.J. Cann and Justin Britt to man right guard and center, respectively.”
#Texans LG Max Scharping rebounded well after a bad game vs. Grady Jarrett and the Falcons. He was solid against the Chiefs. Here he is opening up some big runs on the 12-play go-ahead drive. pic.twitter.com/JqfiuCGnfK
— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) October 15, 2019
Coming into 2019 the #texans needed to improve their O-line given the amount of times D4 was hit in 2018, one of the reasons this line was much improved was due to rookie Guard @MaxScharping , lots of talk about the tackles in 2018 but the interior was below average
Thread 1/7 pic.twitter.com/L0C1nP2RCr
— The Bad Guy (@YoungAri_Gold) March 22, 2020
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Max Scharping would be a fun homecoming story. Sort of.
The offensive lineman grew up in Green Bay but went to college at Northern Illinois. So he’s quite familiar with the region. He’d be closer to family and friends if he came to Chicago. Undoubtedly, he would jump at the chance to join the Bears. He would be easily their best option at guard over guys like Sam Mustipher and rookies Zachary Thomas and Ja’Tyre Carter. Nobody is saying this is the ideal solution. It has to be about doing anything possible to safeguard Justin Fields.
His protection was atrocious last year, and it doesn’t look like it has improved. Max Scharping is a solid guard with starting experience. He may not change the landscape of the offensive line, but he would at least bring more stability. His contract is affordable, and the price to get him likely won’t go above a 6th round pick once the Texans decide to move on. He would also be a good fit for the Bears’ offense, given his run blocking strength and adequate athleticism.
