Greg Gabriel’s next in his series, going position by position to see where the Bears stand this offseason, is all about the offensive line.
The key to any team having a winning season in the NFL is having a good quarterback and being strong on both the offensive and defensive lines. The 2024 Chicago Bears hope they have the quarterback in rookie Caleb Williams, and their defensive line came on strong in the second half of the 2023 season. A problem for the Bears has been the offensive line; they have not been able to develop continuity because of injuries, and they were weak at the all-important center position.
The Bears hope they have solved those issues for 2024.
There is a lot of talent at tackle, but the two starters are young players who are still developing. Left tackle Braxton Jones has rare traits for a tackle, but he came from a smaller FCS-level college, so he was not as developed as other prospects at the same age.
As a rookie in 2022, Braxton played every snap and showed flashes, especially in the run game. With the Bears playing an outside zone blocking scheme, his athleticism is perfect for the position. Where he lacked was lower body strength and technique.
Having come from Southern Utah, Jones did not have the off-season training that a player from a top Power-5 Conference school had. Because of that, even though he had the height, length and athleticism needed, he struggled when having to anchor. In the 2023 off-season, Jones worked hard at developing his lower body, and he showed much improvement, but he still wasn’t quite where he needed to be. This off-season, he again worked on the weak points, and he should have a breakout season for the Bears this year. There are few in the League that have his combination of height, length, and athleticism, so if he gets his lower body strength and power to where it needs to be, he can be a top left tackle in the League.
The right tackle is manned by last year’s first-round pick, Darnell Wright. Wright is a huge, strong and athletic player who played very well as a rookie. With a year under his belt, he should be even better in 2024. Last year, he was a very good run blocker and a good pass protector. The year of experience should make him even better in pass protection this season. I feel he is a future Pro Bowl type player.
Left guard is manned by fourth-year player Teven Jenkins. He is already one of the better run blocking guards in all of football but shows some inconsistency in pass protection. He has the movement skills to be excellent as a pass blocker, but for some reason, he has occasional “hiccups” and doesn’t keep a good position. The other fault with Jenkins is that he just hasn’t been durable. He has yet to play a full season in his three years in the League because of various injuries. The fact is he has missed 19 games in three seasons. With this being his contract year, will General Manager Ryan Poles be willing to extend him? With the money the starting guards received in free agency this spring, Poles may be reluctant to spend that on a player who isn’t durable. It’s imperative that Jenkins stays healthy all year to have any chance of getting an extension.
The right guard position is a question mark. Last year, the Bears signed former Tennessee guard Nate Davis to be their right guard. Things didn’t go as planned, as Davis missed most of the off-season program and pre-season because of personal issues.
At the time, no fans or media knew what Davis was going through, but when it came out that his mother was ill and eventually died, Davis could be given a pass. Still, he must have a bounce-back season and play to the level he played in Tennessee. If he does, the Bears have as good a guard duo as any team in the League, though there are question marks with both Jenkins and Davis going into camp.
Center has been a problem for the Bears for years, and the Bears front office and coaching staff hope they have finally solved the issue.
There will be a competition in camp for the starting center spot between Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates. Either will be a huge upgrade over what the Bears have had at the position the last few years.
Shelton came from the Rams, where he started 30 games at center the last two seasons. Shelton isn’t an overpowering player but a consistently good run and pass blocker. He has also played in the same offensive scheme that the Bears are using, so he is familiar with the offense.
Ryan Bates was actually signed by the Bears in 2022 to an offer sheet after having a strong 2021 at guard for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills promptly matched the Bears offer sheet, and Bates again started at guard for the Bills at guard. Last year, he was the Bills’ main backup at center and guard as they brought in a bunch of new interior players. The Bills decided to trade Bates this spring not because of poor play but because they were $45 Million over the salary cap and had to dump salaries. The Bills lost plenty of quality players because of that problem, and Bates just happened to be one of them. Buffalo was glad the Bears were interested.
I have seen Bates play several times during his career, as I watch every Bills game. I’m from Buffalo, and I began my scouting career with the Bills. Bates is a quality player at either guard or center. With his athleticism, he would give the Bears the type of athletic center they want in their scheme. It will be interesting to see who wins the competition this summer, but right now, my money is on Bates being the starter.
The swing tackle position has been a problem for the Bears. Larry Borom had that position last year and has started several games in his three years with the Bears. Borom is best at right tackle and struggles when he has to play on the left side. The Bears need a player who can play both tackle positions equally well. Another problem with Borom is his salary. He is due to make almost $3.2 Million this year, which is a lot of money to pay for a backup. Unless he restructures his contract, he may not be here during the regular season.
To help with the backup tackle position the Bears signed two players in free agency. One, Matt Pryor is a seven year vet who has experience at both tackle positions. He has started 24 games in his career with the Colts and Eagles. The other free agent signee is former Seattle Seahawk Jake Curhan, who has experience in both guard and tackle while with Seattle. Curhan played for the Bears Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldon in Seattle, so there is familiarity, plus he has started nine games in his three seasons with the Seahawks.
The player who may win the swing job, though, is rookie Kiran Amegadjie from Yale. The Bears like Kiran so much that they used a third-round pick on him. Amegadjie is raw, having played in the Ivy League, but he has rare natural size and athletic ability. He also totally dominated while at Yale.
Kiran will miss the off-season program because he is still rehabbing a quad injury that required surgery. He is at OTAs, though, and learning his assignments; he just isn’t doing any physical work. With his natural traits, he is the odds-on favorite to be the third tackle this season if he looks good in training camp.
At guard, the aforementioned Jake Curhan is one player who could be a backup. The loser of the Bates/Shelton battle will also backup at center and guard. The other player in the competition is third-year player Ja’Tyre Carter. Carter had to start games early last year because of injuries to both Davis and Jenkins. He played well, in fact I felt with his early season play he had a bright future with the Bears. For some unknown reason, though, he was not dressing for the final few games of the season. We don’t have any idea why, but the feeling is he has to have a strong pre-season in order to make the roster. Carter is big, strong, and athletic; in fact, he is one of the more athletic offensive linemen the Bears have. Why he fell out of favor is a mystery.
The last player to watch closely in camp is UDFA Theo Benedet. Theo is a huge (6070 – 315) tackle/guard who played college football in Canada. His natural traits are outstanding, but Canadian college football is on par with low D-II or high D-III football in the States. The natural talent is there, but he is raw. He may need a year on the practice squad before he is ready to be a backup, but you can bet he will get plenty of playtime in the four pre-season games.
Going into camp, I feel this is the strongest and deepest group of offensive linemen the Bears have had in the Matt Eberflus era. The talent is there for the Line to be one of the better lines in the League, but things have to come together correctly, and key people have to stay healthy.
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