News dropped on Sunday that the Chicago Bears were working out veteran guard Michael Schofield. It was the first such news to surface in some time. One got the sense that it was coming since confirmation that Dakota Dozier tore his ACL. That left a considerable void on the interior of the Bears’ offensive line. Currently, the projected competition at right guard includes Sam Mustipher, Zachary Thomas, and Ja’Tyre Carter. A career center and two late-round draft picks. Not ideal.
Schofield would be an instant upgrade. While not a Pro Bowler, he falls into the “serviceable” category. He started 86 games throughout his career with three different teams. That experience alone would be valuable to the Bears. However, their interest in him goes deeper than that. If one digs into his background, they’ll find that he has experience playing in the wide-zone system new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy plans to install.
That started back in 2015.
Schofield was drafted in the 3rd round by the Denver Broncos. Their head coach was Gary Kubiak, a disciple of Mike Shanahan, the co-creator of the outside-zone system. So it’s obvious the young lineman was seen as an excellent fit for the system. The fact he immediately helped them win the Super Bowl that year doesn’t hurt. Then in 2016, his play took a considerable step forward. He allowed 17 pressures and only one sack in 291 true pass sets starting the entire year. It was the best performance of his career.
Sadly, things changed after that. Kubiak retired due to health problems after that season. A new regime came in, and Schofield ended up getting cut. He landed with the Chargers and continued his career from there. He never got to see how good he could become in the offense he was always meant to play in.
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Michael Schofield is a way better fit than Dozier was.
What stands out is his mixture of size and mobility. The guy is 6’6 and 300 lbs but can move like a big tight end. Los Angeles used him as a pulling guard often last year. It was a big help for their running game. Yet they never quite took full advantage of it. That figures to change under Getsy. Schofield will be on the move often, working to get the running backs to the edge and using his range to wear defenses out.
Yet people will ultimately judge him on how well he protects Justin Fields. The good news is he isn’t completely worthless in this regard. In the five seasons he surpassed 600 or more pass-blocking snaps; he allowed more than 30 pressures on the quarterback only twice. One of them was his rookie year. For context, James Daniels allowed 40 last season. So if Michael Schofield signs with the Bears and plays like his usual self, he’ll be an upgrade.
Everything lines up.
He’s experienced, competent, and a perfect fit for the system. The only unknown is what kind of money he’s looking for. It is a safe bet the Bears won’t have to pay much for him. Not this late into the off-season. He likely wants to get onto a roster with training camp about to begin.
A great running game will help the passing game immensely…. Go Bears !
So now it just looks like Jenkins, Borom and Jones will be competing for the tackle spots. The interior looks pretty solid now. Thank goodness Mustipher won’t be starting.
I’ve been hard on the new regime but signing this guy was a solid move and now Justin has a solid interior line hopefully the tackles dont suck.
As of 950 am today, hes signed!
Nick to be fair poles didn’t draft fields!