The Chicago Bears finished out the preseason in Tennessee with a nice 27-24 victory over the Titans. Now the team has some decisions to make regarding their roster as final cuts are due by Tuesday, August 31st. One thing that came out of the past three weeks? GM Ryan Pace’s rookie draft class is showing early signs of promise. While Justin Fields is understandably getting most of the attention, perhaps the biggest surprise thus far has been Larry Borom.
A lot of people had never heard of the Missouri tackle when the Bears selected him in the 5th round last April. They quickly learned he was a big guy who played his entire college career at right tackle and didn’t allow a sack in 2020. As time went on, a buzz started to pick up. Head coach Matt Nagy and offensive line coach Juan Castillo made the unusual decision to shift Borom from his original spot at right tackle over to left tackle. Why? The rookie was showing unexpected promise in his pass protection. Especially his quick feet.
There were legitimate rumors he might push for the starting job.
Unfortunately, a concussion derailed his progress. Teven Jenkins soon underwent back surgery and the Bears signed longtime veteran Jason Peters to fill the void. While the 39-year old is projected to start, the team has left the door open for Borom to continue competing. An opportunity he seems to have embraced. Despite limited practice time upon his return, the rookie’s play in his first preseason game against Buffalo wasn’t terrible.
While there were some iffy moments, he looked surprisingly comfortable on the left side. It would be interesting to see if he made any progress the next week against Tennessee. After watching his work in the second half? That is a big yes. Borom looked even better than he did the week before. His kick-slide was quick and decisive. He used his hands well and showed good anchor against power rushes. With his help, Nick Foles threw two touchdowns to help seal a victory.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
What Larry Borom is doing isn’t getting enough credit
Remember that he didn’t play left tackle at all in college. It was strictly right tackle. People might think it’s easy to just switch sides with no issues. They would be wrong. Asking a lineman to go from one side to another is like asking a batter in baseball to start hitting lefty instead of righty. It takes an entirely different kind of muscle memory which they don’t have. It takes time to learn.
Larry Borom has managed to do that in the past couple of months despite missing two weeks with a concussion. His preseason concluded allowing a mere four pressures on the quarterback without a single sack. If he is that decent right now? There is no telling how much better he’ll get as he gets more comfortable playing on that side and honing his body into proper NFL shape.
Have the Bears landed another gem?
It’s too early to tell. Yet their success in the 5th round speaks for itself. Adrian Amos, Jordan Howard, Bilal Nichols, and Darnell Mooney. Trevis Gipson had a great preseason and looks poised for a breakout of his own. So Borom might continue a fascinating trend for this team. At a position of monumental importance no less.
