Former GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy admitted last year that they were shocked Larry Borom fell to the 5th round in the draft. The Missouri offensive tackle was high on their board, somewhere in the 2nd to 3rd round range. So getting him that late was considered a steal in their minds. Yet the fact is Borom falling that far meant that the rest of the NFL didn’t have such a high opinion of him.
So it stands to reason a new GM and head coach arriving might change his status in the organization. Sure enough, that seems to be the case. Ryan Poles didn’t mince words when he arrived in January. He didn’t like what he saw from the Bears offensive line in general. Changes were coming. According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, two things became clear. James Daniels wasn’t coming back, and Borom could be in trouble.
“Two things I was told about the offensive line when Ryan Poles was hired were: (a) James Daniels was not going to be re-signed and (b) the opinion of Larry Borom was not particularly high. But this was before Poles and Flus engaged a thorough evaluation of the entire roster. Has that opinion changed at all? Do they view Borom as a potential starter? Versatile backup? Anything?”
Kenny Willekes was killing Bears RT Larry Borom all day (9 pressures), but especially at the end of the game. This altered pass and pair of sacks came in a span of five plays. Willekes really looks like a keeper. pic.twitter.com/DR6cx1xCUb
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 14, 2022
Some people will be quick to defend the rookie tackle.
They felt he played pretty solid under the circumstances last year. Yet the hard data doesn’t support this. Things were fine through his first five starts, allowing one sack and 11 pressures. However, things got ugly over the final four games. He gave up a staggering 21 pressures and four sacks during that stretch. To top it off, his run blocking wasn’t much better. Now, this is not to say Larry Borom can’t improve, but it helps illustrate why Poles and Matt Eberflus might not be big on keeping him a starter.
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That makes the upcoming training camp huge for Borom. Depending on what the Bears do over the next month in free agency and the draft, this might be his only opportunity to make a positive impression. Maybe he can change their minds about his potential. Or perhaps he might even find new life by kicking inside to guard. He might be destined for a permanent backup role if he can’t put together a strong training camp.
