The Chicago Bears saw both Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair miss practice on Wednesday with an injury. For Whitehair, it is two straight missed days, and for Jenkins, he was downgraded from being limited on Tuesday. Both signs suggest both players will miss Saturday’s game against Buffalo.
This raises a fair question, who the heck is going to play guard?
Who will play guard for the Chicago Bears?
One player who will start at guard is Michael Schofield. The question for Schofield is which side? He has had to play both sides so far this season due to injuries, and he has typically been the next man up.
With Whitehair playing through his injury on Sunday, Schofield stepped in for Jenkins. Will that be where he stays? It may come down to the other options.
Ja’Tyre Carter: Carter is technically listed as the backup at guard. However, he has been inactive for almost every game this season. Carter has only been active for weeks six and eight. He is a rookie and was expected to be a project. On one hand, what better time than now to give him live game reps? On the other, the Bills defensive line may overwhelm him, kill his confidence, and put Justin Fields in a bad spot. He is probably not the actual best option.
Alex Leatherwood: The Chicago Bears gave Leatherwood 27 snaps at right tackle as they have tried to ease him into the mix. Still, the former first-round pick was awful against the Eagles, and the team did not play him after halftime, after letting him get a few drives in a row in the first half. His last snap was allowing a sack that pushed the team out of field goal range, and they did not let him redeem himself. With Larry Borom back healthy, he is probably the third option at right tackle once again. His experience in the NFL has been awful at tackle, and that is why he was cut, to begin with. Maybe a move to guard would be for the best. He played guard at Alabama and may saw him better off there anyways. Play Leatherwood at left guard, and see if he can be the starter long-term opposite of Teven Jenkins
Larry Borom: If you recall back to training camp, the team was giving Larry Borom some work at right guard. The need for a right tackle kept him outside, but he may be another player who is best at right guard. Experimenting aside, the best five would likely include Reiff at right tackle, and Borom at right guard. Still, they may want to see Borom at tackle for the future, and Leatherwood or Carter at guard for the future.
Dieter Eiselen: This appears to be the least likely, but it has to be considered, he is on the roster after all. Still, Eiselen has played guard for the majority of his career, but due to a lack of depth at center, he has spent the season as the backup to Sam Mustipher. If Eiselen did start and got hurt, they really would not have a backup center, so starting him just to see what he brings is riskier than Leatherwood or Carter.
So, who do you see the Chicago Bears starting at guard?