One of the big advantages of having depth within your offensive line is versatility. Most players can at least land in a position or two, and if you have enough, you to tend to find a lot of depth at every position due to the versatility. The Chicago Bears find themselves there for the first time in a long time, which gave them the confidence to release Charles Leno.
Now that Leno is gone, there are a lot of questions as to how the offensive line will shake out In 2021. The Bears now have a variety of options to choose from. Lets examine some. Remember, this is for week one, and the Bears may change this over the course of the year as younger players grow into roles.
5. LT- Teven Jenkins, LG- Cody Whitehair, C- Sam Mustipher, RG- James Daniels, RT- Germain Ifedi
This may be one of the more realistic looks at what the offensive line will look like in week one. At left tackle, it is hard to justify anyone but Teven Jenkins starting at this point now that Charles Leno is gone.
At left guard, Cody Whitehair has always been his best. Beyond that, Whitehair playing between Mustipher, who is going to enter the season as a starter for the first time in this scenario, and Jenkins, a rookie. The experience of Whitehair would be huge between them,
On the right side, James Daniels has not played on that side in the NFL, but the switch is plausible. From there, it would leave Ifedi, who the team signed to start at right tackle. Considering Ifedi finished the year as the starter he could easily resume there.
4. LT- Teven Jenkins, LG- Cody Whitehair, C- Sam Mustipher, RG- James Daniels, RT- Larry Borom
This may be the fan’s most preferred option. However, it may not be as realistic as the option before due to Borom. It would be a dream to see the Bears be able to pull in two week-1 starters during the draft weekend on top of Justin Fields. However, while that is possible, there is a better chance that Borom will take some time to learn.
The biggest inconsistency that caused Borom to drop so far was his footwork. The Bears will give him time to learn this, and at a later point, he could be replacing Ifedi. If that is the case, four and potentially five spots could be locked up long term, with Sam Mustipher pending with a chance to make it five.
This is not a huge difference from the option before, but the idea of two rookies at tackle is a real consideration and a much different look than Ifedi. Beyond that, it is worth considering that Elijah Wilkerson could start at right tackle with those four beside him as well. They truly have three combinations right there with a potential three-man battle at right tackle.
3. LT- Teven Jenkins, LG- James Daniels C- Cody Whitehair, RG- Germain Ifedi, RT- Larry Borom
In this scenario we see Cody Whitehair return to center for the Chicago Bears. Another option with this core could be Daniels moving to center. Still, he struggled the last time he was there, and now is coming off an injury. Still, it is nice to have Whitehair next to Jenkins like the options before.
Still, the big shake-up that could happen here is that Larry Borom wins the right tackle spot. That is on the table as we mentioned, and would leave Ifedi out. Not so fast. Perhaps in an attempt to include the best five linemen they believe that Ifedi is better than Sam Mustipher.
That means that Ifedi slides into right guard, the position he was signed to play in 2020. Ifedi is still pretty young, and if he found himself locked into the RG spot, the Bears may be confident in this five moving forward as well. Again, Eliah Wilkinson has guard flexibility, so this can easily shift to Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, James Daniels, Elijah Wilkinson, Larry Borom. That is a completely different combination and not even one of the five we talk about here.
2. LT- Teven Jenkins, LG- James Daniels, C- Cody Whitehair, RG- Larry Borom, RT- Germain Ifedi
Plenty of scouting reports have Borom shifting inside to guard in the NFL. His feet would not be tested with inside counters nearly as much. Even if his future is at left tackle, it is easier to get a rookie on the field at guard than it is at tackle. Borom could spend a year at right guard while he adjusts to the NFL and gets lean.
Then, in 2022 he could find himself competing at right tackle. Either way, the Bears could once again be able to get two rookies on the field in week one which would be a huge win. Getting the fifth-rounder in a more suitable role could make the transition easier.
Still, this is another combination that could easily play out, but with Whitehair at guard, Daniels at center, and Wilkinson at right tackle. Still, having Whitehair next to Borom helps as much as Jenkins in this scenario. Either way, you could look at it.
Jenkins, Whitehair, Daniels, Borom, Wilkinson in week one from left to right is possible for the Chicago Bears.
1. LT- Elijah Wilkinson, LG- Cody Whitehair, C- Sam Mustipher, RG- James Daniels, RT- Germain Ifedi
Let me say that this is not a ranking of preference, but rather a list of five possibilities. Still, when we are talking about week one, and we are talking about a short offseason again, we are talking about rookies being behind the learning curve.
Teven Jenkins is marker into left tackle in all four scenarios we have discussed, and we have not even discussed another possibility. For argument sake, if he gets dinged up, or just is a week or so behind his intended projection, the Bears may want to get Elijah Wilkinson out there. Wilkinson has experience in the NFL at LT and for a week or two could hold down the fort for Teven Jenkins.
Still, in this scenario, we do see the trio in the interior. While fans may hate this, this also may be a scenario that leads to Borom at RT and Jenkins at LT by the end of the season. If those two can slot into the line with that trio it may be worth a slow play.
If the Bears trust Mustipher, getting Borom on the field at right guard may not be worth it with Daniels and Whitehair at guard. So, they may just give him time on the bench to adjust to RT. The same could be said for Jenkins.
It is at least worth considering this as a potential combination for the Chicago Bears week one.