The Chicago Bears are heading into training camp this week. Rookies and quarterbacks reported on Saturday, July 23, 2022, and the first practice (private) is today, Wednesday, August 27, 2022. There are plenty of question marks surrounding this team, but the offensive line has to be the biggest. We will keep a close eye on that group throughout training camp, however, with the recent signings of Michael Schofield and Riley Reiff, it’s looking like this team will be going with older vets on the offensive line to start the year.
Before these signings, we saw Braxton Jones and Larry Borom both practice with the first-string offense during OTAs and minicamp. Then, we saw Larry Borom get reps with the ones as the right tackle while Teven Jenkins saw reps as well, but was then demoted to the second-string offense towards the end of June. Matt Eberflus tried to play it off as though it wasn’t a big deal, but we will have to wait and see just how honest he was in that regard.
Predicting the Chicago Bears starting offensive line after new additions
With camp being private to fans, we will need to rely on the Chicago Bears beat reporters to give us the news on who is starting where at the beginning of camp. It should be said though, that it’s not a guarantee for whoever starts today to finish there. For one, these two vets might not see first-time action with the ones right away. The Chicago Bears might ease them into things since they haven’t even seen the playbook until this week. Also, it’s possible that Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus prefer one of the younger guys over one of the vets when it’s all said and done.
We shall see.
Lucas Patrick is a lock to start at center for the Chicago Bears
Honestly, I do not see how Lucas Patrick is not your Day 1 starter at center. The Chicago Bears went out and signed him this offseason to be just that. He came from Green Bay and started at both the guard and center positions throughout his career. He’s coming off a fairly productive season snapping the ball to Aaron Rodgers and he’s already very familiar with Luke Getsy.
We already have seen his presence on the Chicago Bears YouTube broadcast 1920 Football Drive. These little videos give a behind-the-scenes look at the ins and outs of the Chicago Bears during the offseason. We saw Lucas Patrick coming into the quarterbacks meeting and you saw how well he got along with Luke Getsy and the guys. Although, I am not sure Matt Eberflus appreciated the distraction as much. Then, we saw Patrick in the press conference next to Justin Fields this week. There seems to already be trust between those two.
Patrick is a clear upgrade over Sam Mustipher from last season. He already makes this offensive unit better even if Ryan Poles did not go out and sign the two veterans he did this week. He is a lock to be the starting center and let’s hope he can withstand the full 17-game schedule.
These two are most likely the Chicago Bears starting guards in 2022
If we look at the offensive line, two players stand out to me as locks. Lucas Patrick was one and Cody Whitehair is the other. I do not see anyone taking over that left guard spot. He isn’t as good as he used to be, but Cody Whitehair is still an average to above-average NFL guard. The Chicago Bears could do a lot worse than him despite a rough go at times over the last two years. I expect him to have a better season now that he can rely on the guys next to him a little more.
The other likely starter at guard is going to be Michael Schofield. Schofield is similar to Cody Whitehair. He isn’t a great offensive guard (or tackle), but he is an average to above-average guard in the NFL. This is important because you can help players out with the offensive scheme and play designs — allowing them to look better than they actually are.
These two are likely to start at left guard and right guard for the Chicago Bears this year. There is a small chance that Schofield was brought in to play tackle as he has in the past, but I just don’t see it with the current makeup of this team. Instead, the other new face is likely to start at one of the tackle spots while a sophomore or rookie starts at the other.
The Chicago Bears tackles are likely to be figured out in training camp
As of right now, the offensive tackles are the biggest question marks on the offensive line in my opinion. The Chicago Bears went out and signed Riley Reiff to what could be a $12.5 million dollar contract with built-in incentives. Even with a low base salary, his requirement of starting only 10% of the time to earn more screams starter money. If we look at the line, Riley Reiff could play left tackle or right tackle. He’s coming off a productive year with the Bengals playing on the right side, but we will see how things play out here in Chicago.
My best guess is that Reiff will start at left tackle, while Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins fight it out for the starting right tackle spot. That said, it’s also possible that he starts at right tackle while the team starts one of Larry Borom or Braxton Jones at left tackle. This one will have to be played out in training camp. Now that the pads are on, we can get a better sense of what these offensive linemen can truly do. I am still hopeful that Teven Jenkins proves me right and shows his stuff now that the pads are on, but the only thing that matters is starting the best five players.
For now, I’m going to predict that Riley Reiff starts on the left and Teven Jenkins starts on the right. It could easily be Larry Borom on the right though too. Honestly, we don’t know for sure that Ryan Poles is done. Maybe, he brings in another veteran to start on the right side.
Predicting the starting offensive line of the Chicago Bears
Alright, now is the time to put it all together. When we look at the current roster, my first attempt at predicting the starting offensive line is going to be as follows:
"Riley Reiff – LT Cody Whitehair – LG Lucas Patrick – C Michael Schofield – RG Larry Borom – RT"
Although, I would much rather see Teven Jenkins as the starting right tackle (I was very high on him coming out of Oklahoma State), all signs are pointing toward Larry Borom being ahead of him on the depth chart. With the addition of Riley Reiff, Braxton Jones can back up on the left side and Teven Jenkins would be the backup right tackle on the right.
2022 Chicago Bears Training Camp Guide: Players and storylines to watch
The Chicago Bears are reporting to training camp today. We provide you with the top five storylines and players to watch.
Overall, this group looks much better today than it did just a couple of days ago. We will have to wait and see how things play out. Even injuries can cause problems. Which players do you think will line up where come Week 1 of the regular season? Who do you believe starts today at the first practice? Do you think Ryan Poles makes any other moves with the offensive line prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season?