The Chicago Bears entered the season with a serious issue at left tackle. That issue was extrapolated tenfold somehow in the team’s loss to the LA Rams. We knew things were going to be bad when Teven Jenkins headed to surgery that would put him on IR. However, it eased some concerns that Jason Peters was signed.
No, Peters was not the answer, he is nearly 40 years old and coming off an injury. However, he is a future Hall of Famer who knew the Juan Castillo offense which meant he could jump in with ease. The reality is that Peters was a stop-gap, but could buy the Bears a few weeks to get one of their young tackles up to speed.
The stop-gap plan lasted about a half. To start, Peters looked rough, but then he got injured. Considering his age, and the number of injuries he suffered, this could be the end of the road for Peters. Even if he can return he will not be in full health, and he looked old and past his days as it was.
Peters was just supposed to buy a week or two for Larry Borom, a rookie who was switching from right to left tackle. Borom was going to struggle and face growing pains, but a few weeks could at least help him from being overwhelmed. Instead, he was in at left tackle in week one.
Borom did fine considering the circumstances, but honestly, his stint was too short to judge. He was in and out with an ankle injury that did not look good. Maybe Borom can get back into the lineup sooner than later, but this is a rookie who is fighting to get healthy and change positions, which means expectations need to remain low.
All of a sudden the team is back to Elijah Wilkinson, who was a disaster in the preseason and the reason the team signed Peters and moved Borom to left tackle. Wilkinson finished the game but is technically option four behind Jenkins, Peters, and Borom. He may start next week. You can blame Ryan Pace for the lack of resources on the offensive line, but some of the injuries stacking on each other this fast is a bit of bad luck as well.