Have Chicago Bears solidified this position?

When the Chicago Bears signed Riley Reiff, the obvious thought was that he would be a starter; the only question was where? Reiff had played left and right tackle and has played guard at times as well. While he has not practiced yet, the anticipation is not only that he will start at left tackle, but he will not be competing for it, either.

By all indications from the Bears, they will stick with Riley Reiff as a starter and Braxton Jones as his backup. Jones has been working with the first team early, but Reiff is still just getting into the mix. This will allow Larry Borom to focus on the right tackle in what may be a competition against Teven Jenkins.

Before the team signed Reiff, the thought was that Larry Borom would compete at both left tackle and right tackle. Still, that was not fair to the second-year player. He was not getting used to working at either, while Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins would primarily focus on one.

The team learned at OTAs that Borom was best at right tackle, and now that can be his sole focus.

Beyond that, it eliminates the chance that the Bears are starting a fifth-round rookie at left tackle for week one. It would be a great opportunity for Braxton Jones, but it almost felt like a process of elimination rather than him earning the role.

Now, if Jones can beat out Reiff, he has truly proven himself. If he cannot, he is still right about his expectations. With Borom being better on the right side and bouncing to both sides, it was getting too close to Jones stepping into the spot uncontested.

Reiff is getting older, and an injury ended his season in 2021, so Jones could still see the field. Still, Reiff slows down his development track and takes the pressure off Jones and Larry Borom. The signing had a few strong ripple effects, and the entire offense should benefit, even if Reiff is not a game changer.