Luke Getsy doesn’t have an enviable task ahead of him. Not only is he installing a complicated offensive scheme with the wide zone, but he also must try to make it work with an offensive line that is very much a work in progress. Right now there are only two spots that can be called locks to start. That is Cody Whitehair at left guard and Lucas Patrick at center. Teven Jenkins is probably a safe bet at right tackle. The rest is uncertain.
Larry Borom is penciled in for now at left tackle, while right guard is a complete unknown. All Getsy has to work with is Sam Mustipher, a pure center his entire career, Dakota Dozier, a below-average backup in Minnesota, and four draft picks. All of whom were selected in the 5th round or later. For most, that is not an ideal situation. In truth, Getsy likely isn’t deterred by the idea. If anything, he’ll welcome the challenge.
After all, this offense has a storied history of elevated late-round picks.
Mike Shanahan brought the wide zone into the mainstream in the mid-1990s when he became head coach of the Denver Broncos. Since then, many of his disciples went on to carry the scheme forward to great success, including his son Kyle, Sean McVay, and Matt Lafleur. Over that span of 26 years, the system has helped elevate several offensive linemen to success. Below is a list of players who were selected in the 4th round or later under those coaches who started at least one entire season in the NFL.
- Trey Teague
- Chris Kuper
- Ben Hamilton
- Cooper Carlisle
- Chris Myers
- Tom Compton
- Austin Reiter
- Brian Allen
- David Edwards
- Royce Newman
- Jon Runyan Jr.
Not a bad list. There is a nice mix of Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl champions in there.
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Luke Getsy has interesting talents to work with.
GM Ryan Poles may not have acquired household names, but he established a theme with every O-line pick in the draft. Each of them carries significant athletic upside and are specific fits for the type of offense the Bears will run. The wide zone demands that blockers be mobile, physical, and intelligent. Braxton Jones, Zachary Thomas, Doug Kramer, and Ja’Tyre Carter all meet that criteria. It shouldn’t be hard to imagine the Bears getting one starter out of that group.
Even better is that Luke Getsy had a chance to work with some excellent offensive line coaches during his time in the NFL. It started with James Campen in Green Bay and then moved to Adam Stenavich. Both men achieved great results when developing young linemen, so the Bears’ offensive coordinator will have a good idea of what must be done to make it happen.
As to who should be monitored?
It feels like Thomas and Carter are the current favorites to win a starting job immediately. Both are projected to play guard in the NFL and the Bears have a spot open at right guard. Jones will be a tackle and Kramer a center. Their fates likely won’t be known until next year at the earliest. Then again, most of that depends on what Getsy sees in the coming months.
