Can Chicago Bears expose 49ers weakness?

While all attention is on the San Francisco 49ers quarterback change, perhaps the thing that will make or break the success of Trey Lance is the turnover at the interior offensive line. The question in week one will be whether the Chicago Bears can take advantage of this.

Last season the team started Laken Tomlinson, Alex Mack, and Dane Brunskill. Tomlinson signed a big deal in free agency, and Mack retired. Brunskill lost his job, but he was the weakness last season.

Stepping in for these names are Jake Brendel, Aaron Banks, and Spencer Burford. Burford is a rookie fourth-round pick, and he is the clear bright spot as of now, considering he beat out Brunskill, the starter from last season. Still, just as Braxton Jones will be having his hands full, this will be one heck of an adjustment for Burford.

Aaron Banks was a rookie last season after being drafted in the second round. He was only active for nine games and did not start at all. While you can spin things positively for these two, they have a serious question at center.

Jake Brendel is a UDFA and has been in the NFL since 2016. He has three starts and did not spend any games active in 2019 or 2020. Last season he played six snaps.

This is going to be an issue at some point, the question is whether Chicago has the horses to do take advantage. Their interior defensive line is a clear weakness right now, shown by the addition of Armon Watts, a player cut from Minnesota.

It was a scheme change that added to the release, but still, Watts joins Angelo Blackson, Justin Jones, and Mike Pennel as the four who will take on this front. Watts and Jones will get the most snaps over the new center, and both of them were new additions from the Ryan Poles era.

Jones was a second choice for the Bears after the failed Larry Ogunjobi on his physical, and Watts was just added last week. You would feel more comfortable that the Chicago Bears could expose the 49ers in this area if the team was a bit stronger upfront.