GM Ryan Poles has done a good job overhauling the Chicago Bears’ arsenal of weapons over the past six months. He acquired Chase Claypool from Pittsburgh to give them more size and versatility at wide receiver. Then he landed the explosive and tough D.J. Moore from Carolina in the blockbuster #1 pick trade. Last but not least, he added the underrated Robert Tonyan to pair with Cole Kmet at tight end. With Darnell Mooney, this might be the deepest group of weapons a Bears quarterback has had in years. That leaves one problem.
The offensive line.
Justin Fields was constantly harassed last season. While plenty of critics will say he was primarily responsible for most of the sacks he took, the truth is his blocking was below average for most of the season. That can’t continue if Poles and Matt Eberflus want to see him mature as a passer. So they need to reshuffle the pieces up front. What nobody knows is how they’ll do that. Courtney Cronin of ESPN provided some notable details on that subject, particularly in regard to left guard and center.
A closer look at the reason for some of the 55 sacks Fields took in 2022 was the play along the interior of the line. That led the Bears to add Davis, who started 54 games at right guard for Tennessee in the past four seasons. The expectation is that Teven Jenkins will move to left guard and Cody Whitehair will slot at center. But the work is far from over. The lack of sturdiness up front means Chicago will need to be active in adding linemen, particularly at offensive tackle.
The Chicago Bears have a straightforward approach in mind.
Nate Davis has played his entire career as a right guard. Keeping him there makes sense. Conversely, Cody Whitehair has played most of his career at center. His shift to left guard last season was meant to pave the way for Lucas Patrick at center. That faltered after Patrick suffered multiple injuries. Whitehair has proven more durable. Having him lead the way makes sense until the Bears can find a better long-term solution. The one tricky part is moving Teven Jenkins to left guard. He’s played most of his college and pro careers on the right side. It’s uncertain how he’ll manage such a move.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Still, he is plenty athletic enough to handle the shift. That leaves one glaring issue left to resolve: the right tackle spot. Riley Reiff is gone. Larry Borom is their only option with any reliable starting experience. The Chicago Bears sniffed around the free agent market, but all the top options were signed elsewhere. Poles stated that while they will keep hunting for a veteran, the odds are likely that he will seek his primary solution in the draft. If he stays at 9th overall in the 1st round, there will be some good choices on the board.
