There is no position Ryan Poles has paid greater attention to this off-season than the offensive line. The Chicago Bears GM has been active in retooling it for months. It started with signing veteran guard Nate Davis in free agency. Drafting tackle Darnell Wright in the 1st round followed a month later. Having secured two new starters, Poles next shifted his focus to the team’s depth. Chicago traded a 6th round pick to Miami for veteran guard/center Dan Feeney in the wake of Teven Jenkins’ calf injury. They also added veteran tackle Aviante Collins and guard Bill Murray to their practice squad.
It appears Poles wasn’t done. With the season opener around the corner, Chicago added a third body to the practice squad. This is in the form of Matt Farniok. The 25-year-old is a guard/center drafted in the 7th round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. He was a standout at Indiana, where scouts loved his versatility, size, and athleticism. His run-blocking is his calling card. The problem that kept him from being selected higher was his inconsistent pass protection. That showed up early in his time with Dallas, but he did appear to show some progress once he got some playing time last season.
Farniok is a good fit for the Chicago Bears.
His size, length, and mobility make him a natural for a zone-blocking scheme. The Bears don’t need him to be overpowering. Their system is based on movement. Can he get to the second level and pick off guys in space? The answer is, more often than not, yes. Farniok is nothing more than an emergency option. Chicago likely sees him as a development option and depth. Something will have to go seriously wrong if he’s promoted to the main roster and sees playing time.
Still, it’s nice to see Poles remain proactive in trying to improve the Chicago Bears offensive line however he can. That is something previous GMs never took seriously enough. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Poles is a former lineman himself. He understands the value of stacking talent at those positions. So does assistant GM Ian Cunningham. It’s nice to see such an important position group finally get the proper attention it deserves. Next off-season should see more of the same.
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eecummings —
Thanks — that’s precisely what I’ve come to expect from you.
TGena – newsflash, you just shot yourself in the foot again. If virtually everything discussed is speculation then virtually nothing represents what team officials are saying (unless it is a direct quote and even then it may not represent what they really think). You have no basis for thinking Hart’s article is anything other than a SWAG. However, just for laughs, let’s pretend I take your “logic” seriously. On March 2, 2023 Brad Spielberger, writing for PFF identified Pocic as a Bears target. There, that proves it! Poles brilliantly exercised his First Amendment rights and manipulated the media to send… Read more »
eecummings — Newsflash: virtually everything discussed within these pages involves speculation. But run that cool Bill Callahan- – Super Bowl “sabotage” rant of yours past me once more — just for old times’ sake. Next, you speculate that the Broncos did not use Christopher Hart’s article to announce their “unofficial” interest in Ethan Pocic — despite the headline which states: “Broncos free agent target: Ethan Pocic” Do you believe that Hart simply invented his story? Are you aware of the ways in which NFL teams use media, agents, and other contacts to broadcast messages that might otherwise violate the ‘NFL’s… Read more »
Dr. Melhus — There’s a lot to unpack here, but. . . Let’s start with Bears’ O-line coach, Chris Morgan (aka “C-Mo”). You suggest that Morgan’s coaching may be the reason behind the improvement in Larry Borom’s PFF blocking grades. Possibly. I would humbly point to the level of preseason competition, and the “vanilla” offenses and defenses run during preseason — as the more likely cause. Still, Borom had the highest grades among all NFL tackles — and “the top” is better than the bottom (as well as everything in-in-between). Good job, Larry Borom! MORE ON “C-Mo” (unfortunately): When the… Read more »
TGena, Speaking of “You can’t be serious,” your whole post is just hilarious. Hart’s article is strictly Hart’s speculation, not any evidence of any official interest by the Bronco’s organization at any level. Moreover, it does not change the fact that Pocic signed before anyone – not Denver, not Chicago, not any other team in the league – could do anything, Nobody missed on Pocic – you just made a silly claim without any basis. We are pretty much used to that by now but this one was really over the top. BTW – no advantage to playing next to… Read more »