The Chicago Bears offensive line is far from settled. Head coach Matt Eberflus said the staff is working through the evaluation process to find the best five-man combination possible. A few takeaways thus far include Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick being locks at left guard and center. Braxton Jones, against all odds, is the heavy favorite at left tackle. It gets interesting on the right side of the offensive line where both right guard and right tackle don’t appear certain yet.
Riley Reiff has gotten most of the starter reps at right tackle in training camp over the past two weeks. He didn’t play in the opener. That suggests the team views him as the likely option they’ll go with in September unless something unexpected happens. That would be somebody else making a strong enough impression to change their minds. One person that may have done just that against the Chiefs was Larry Borom.
He got the start for the Bears in that game.
Across an entire half of work, the former 5th round pick looked sharp. That was especially true in pass protection. Borom pass-blocked on 18 total snaps in the game, including 13 where he had no help. He didn’t allow a single pressure on the quarterback in each of those instances. Much of this was accomplished against guys like Carlos Dunlap (former Pro Bowler), Frank Clark (former Pro Bowler), and George Karlaftis (1st round pick).
Watch the anchor & quick feet displayed by Larry Borom & Braxton Jones here, great stuff from the young guys.
But I’ve seen enough from Schofield. He doesn’t have the anchor to play RG in this league & someone else will have to step up there if this offense is going to succeed pic.twitter.com/k1XPV5684K
— DBNB (@DaBadNewsBears) August 14, 2022
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Borom has gotten extensive looks at both tackle positions throughout camp. As of right now, he is the heavy favorite to be their swing tackle or primary backup at both spots. However, his strong opener may have cracked the window a bit wider for him to aim higher. That depends on what offensive line coach Chris Morgan saw.
Chicago Bears’ decision may hinge on run-blocking.
Pass protection is vital for an NFL offensive tackle. The problem is the Bears’ new outside-zone offense under Luke Getsy is built around running the football. That “outside” part of the title isn’t for show. Teams that run the scheme like to run the ball off tackle. That means the guys on the edge must be able to move people. Such things were a problem for Borom last year. Pro Football Focus gave him a 59.5 run-blocking grade, ranking him 69th among qualifying offensive tackles.
It probably didn’t help his case that the Chicago Bears had just 20 yards and seven carries running in his direction against Kansas City. That is likely a big reason Reiff is ahead of him on the depth chart. He’s been a far more reliable run blocker during his long career. Borom will have to change that perception if he wants a genuine chance to start. Either that or convince the coaches to let him try his hand at guard.
Things haven’t gotten there yet.
The second-year tackle was great in his first game action of the year and against a pretty strong defensive front too. One can safely assume this coming week might be the most pivotal for him. Either he’ll make the big move to unseat Reiff or settle in as the primary backup.
Scofield had a few good blocks in the running game but was very suspect against 1’s in pass protection. There is an opening there and I expect competition to ramp up. As for Tackle, I think we all know B. Jones has the LT job. He keeps getting better and it looks like he will be ready (special thank you to R.Quinn here). Reiff is probably the RT and Borom the swing guy who will play a lot over 17 games. Jenkins needs to get a shot at RG. That’s all there is to it. He can move and he… Read more »
The OL is taught Outside Zone a blocked a few ways that displays the OL ripping and running .
Outside Zone for The RB
1. Bang it read
2. Bend it read
3. Bounce read
Cody was not good at center. Had a bad snap almost every game it seemed. I think the line is set except for RG and RT. Schofield looked awful. Hoping Jenkins gets a shot at RG. He's got the athleticism and strength to flourish there providing he stays healthy with his back etc. I think Jenkins could even become a Pro Bowler at Guard. It fits his strengths perfectly. Maybe after Schofield's showing last game they give him a crack at it.
The “five best” linemen are yet to be determined.
But, I hope the Bears are able to go young across the OL — even if Cody has to play center, this year, to build that “5 best” group.