Following the NFL conference championship games, many football fans, particularly Chicago Bears fans, turned their attention to the Senior Bowl last Saturday.
The Bears were well represented as GM Ryan Poles, Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, and head coach Matt Eberflus were all seen down there. The Bears also had a unique advantage as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was the head coach of the American team this year.
Though his team lost 27-10, Getsy should give the Bears a unique insight into how they practiced and interacted with the coaching staff, and his thoughts on players from the opposing National Team. With the Senior Bowl in the record books now, the attention turns to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis later this month.
Meanwhile, as we look forward to this Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI between the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs, most of the attention will be focused on quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts.
The Chicago Bears will be watching the trenches in the Super Bowl
According to PFF’s final offensive line rankings this past season, the Eagles finished at No.1 while the Chiefs finished 4th. However, both units will face a huge test going up against the opposing defense. The Eagles’ defense racked up an incredible 70 sacks this year, led by Haason Reddick, who had 16 sacks. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ defense had 55 sacks, led by DT Chris Jones, who had 17.5 sacks by himself.
Let’s not forget Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain against Jacksonville in the divisional playoffs while Jalen Hurts suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder against the Chicago Bears late in the season. Pass protection will be a huge key to each team’s victory.
Because both Poles and Cunningham worked for Kansas City and Philadelphia before joining the Bears, and both are former offensive linemen, many Bears fans are optimistic that their backgrounds can translate to future success for the Bears.
Let’s look at both the Senior Bowl and the Super Bowl on how the Chicago Bears can bolster their offensive line this offseason.
The Chicago Bears could find some upgrades from the Senior Bowl
The good news is there were plenty of standout offensive linemen in the Senior Bowl. The entire offensive line from Luke Getsy’s American Team has a chance to be drafted early and be a starter.
The most popular player linked to the Bears was Center John Michael Schmitz from the University of Minnesota, who attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, IL. The center is a huge need for the Chicago Bears, and they can’t bring back Sam Mustipher as a starter in 2023 no matter how much they upgrade their OT and G spots this offseason.
Favorite Day 1 rep from an IOL was John Michael Schmitz.
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) February 1, 2023
Stuns Redmond with his punch and then gets into his hop step v. the bull rush pic.twitter.com/GIMFHdm6eb
Offensive tackle Darnell Wright from Tennessee, guard O’Cyrus Torrance from Florida, guard Steve Avila from TCU, and tackle Matthew Bergeron from Syracuse are players Bears fans need to remember from the American Team.
The offensive linemen from the National Team are no slouches either. Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones is a physical freak as he stood 6’8” and 359 pounds with an 89.5-inch wingspan. Unfortunately, he did not play in the game due to a concussion he suffered in practice.
Dawand Jones measured a wingspan of 89.5” at the Senior Bowl.
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) February 3, 2023
That measurement would be the longest in NFL Combine HISTORY if it stays true.
The Ohio State tackle allowed just 4 sacks over his entire college career 😳 pic.twitter.com/qQqacGMmv0
Another player many draft experts say stood out this week was tackle Cody Mauch from North Dakota State, though he will likely move to the Guard in the NFL. He looks very imposing, and he plays with such a mean streak, which the Bears lacked this past season.