With the Chicago Bears sitting at their bye week, it is a good chance to go back and grade every offensive lineman to see how they looked so far this season. Which players are meeting expectations, and which positions are struggling?
Grading Chicago Bears Left Tackles
Larry Borom: 408 snaps
Primary matchups: Mike Danna, Felix Anuduike-Uzomah, Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper, Chase Young, Pat Jones, DJ Wonnum, Tyree Wilson, Malcolm Koonce, Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack, Carl Granderson
Larry Borom has played in just 19 snaps since week eight. He started from week three to week eight, though. In those starts, the Bears realized that they needed Braxton Jones, and the line has been better since. We graded Larry Borom after ten weeks already.
Larry Borom Grade: D
Braxton Jones: 387 snaps
Primary matchups: Preston Smith, Justin Hollins, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, Carl Granderson, Eku Leota, Amare Barno, Romeo Okwara, Josh Paschal, DJ Wonnum
Braxton Jones has played in four straight games after missing six games in the early portion of the season. He struggled a bit in his return in week nine, and some of his issues may be because the Bears decided to rotate him back in.
Still, his last three games have been excellent. One of the keys is seeing Jones commit zero penalties in the last three weeks. He had seven in weeks one, two, and nine.
Jones has been an immediate upgrade in the run game, and he is much better than Borom at getting to the second level. Beyond that, he has been better in pass protection as well. His health was vital.
Braxton Jones Grade: B+