The Chicago Bears need to sign Forrest Lamp as soon as possible
Forrest Lamp, a free agent offensive guard, announced on Tuesday that he is healthy and ready to be on an NFL roster. There just so happens to be one in desperate need of offensive line help — the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears once again have problems with the offensive line. After some preseason injuries and reshuffling, the team had what they thought was a cohesive group. It was the following five players (left to right): Jason Peters, Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher, James Daniels, and Germain Ifedi. In three weeks of action so far, the results have been abysmal.
Free agent guard Forrest Lamp, who started all 16 games for the #Chargers last season, has made a (smart) decision and is now fully vaccinated, source said. After a minor calf strain in camp, he is now healthy and ready to contribute for OL-needy teams.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2021
In his very limited role as the team’s quarterback, Justin Fields has been pressured on 33 percent of his dropbacks. He’s also one of the most sacked quarterbacks currently in the league, per Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron. Fields average time to throw versus the Cleveland Browns was roughly 2.6 seconds, which is bottom tier in the NFL.
It’s time for general manager Ryan Pace to make an active attempt at improving the group. Names such as Morgan Moses and Trent Williams floated in the Bears rumor mill, but the lack of aggression towards acquiring such players led to nothing. There may not be a true, long-term solution, but Lamp provides a chance at a slight improvement.
Forrest Lamp is a 2017 second-round pick from the Los Angeles Chargers. He spent his rookie season on the injured reserve before contributing in nine games over two seasons. However, he started all sixteen games at left guard for the Chargers in 2020. In that season, he had one sole penalty and let up only two sacks. For context, Fields was sacked nine times alone against the Browns.
How Forrest Lamp can reshuffle the Chicago Bears offensive line
The weakest spot currently on the line is through center Sam Mustipher. Despite a solid 2020 season, Mustipher’s job would be on the line if the team brought in Lamp. Forrest Lamp could slot in at left guard, returning Whitehair back to center.
Daniels would be another option at center, where he originally played while he was in college at Iowa. The Bears are known for shuffling the line around, meaning that Lamp could fill either spot at guard. Lamp did play tackle in college, so he could be an option there should the team feel that either Ifedi or Peters were failing to produce.
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Adding Forrest Lamp and hopefully having rookie Larry Borom back by week five would hopefully see improvements on the line. Forrest Lamp isn’t perfect, and he’s had his fair share of injuries. However, he was considered a top prospect in his draft class, and his 2020 performance shows that there’s still plenty of game left in the 27-year old. He would be a cheap, solid addition to an offense that is in desperate need of answers.