If moving parts on the offensive line during the offseason program are a sign of things to come, you’re going to need a scorecard to track things when Chicago Bears training camp opens and honest-to-goodness competition and evaluation begins in the trenches.
The most eye-opening development Wednesday was Teven Jenkins, the tackle the Bears traded up to draft in Round 2 (39th overall) a year ago, running with the second team at right tackle.
In practice sessions previously open to media, Jenkins had been with the starters on the right side with Larry Borom, a fifth-round pick in 2021, at left tackle. With Jenkins lining up with the second team, rookie fifth-round pick Braxton Jones was at left tackle and Borom at right tackle.
This is far from finalized — it’s spring football with no contact (at least with full pads on) — and this will be hashed out in camp and the preseason when jobs will be on the line.
“Early on in the OTAs, you guys asked a question about the tackles, and we said, ‘Hey, we’re going to move guys around and shift guys around,’ ” coach Matt Eberflus said. “So it (was) the halfway point for us. We had six practices and then we (had) six to seven to go at that point when we made the switch and we wanted to change combinations.
“That’s not the only (position) we’ve changed from tackle to tackle. We’ve moved some receivers around. Some guys are playing X. Some guys are playing Z. We’ve adjusted some guys on the defensive line just to really find out, have a true evaluation of what’s the best fit for us going into training camp. We might like the other combination. We might like this combination. We might not like either one of them. Now let’s go to the one in training camp. We’ll figure out what the best thing is and that’s really just more information for the coaches to find out what’s best for the Bears.”
One of the other moves was switching from Sam Mustipher at right guard to Dakota Dozier, a 31-year-old who primarily has been a backup in his career. Right guard figures to be up for grabs when training camp opens, and it makes sense not to simply hand a job to Jenkins, who underwent back surgery during his rookie season and was limited to six games, two starts and only 161 snaps.
While the coaching staff is mixing and matching, there is no way to spin this early development as a positive for Jenkins. It’s worth wondering if he’s considered a good fit for a team that is going to run a lot of outside zone and play-action. The Bears could have questions about his movement and ability to climb to the second level and play in space.
It will be particularly interesting if Jones, a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection last year, gets left tackle reps with the starters in training camp. The Bears obviously saw traits in him they liked — he was one of four linemen general manager Ryan Poles selected on Day 3 of the draft. But if he had high-end traits, he wouldn’t have lasted until Round 5.
Since 2010, 12 rookie offensive tackles have been drafted in the fifth round or later to start a minimum of eight games. Three did so for the Bears — Borom last season, Jordan Mills in 2013 and J’Marcus Webb in 2010. It’s not a star-studded list, and the best — Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata — is an outlier as a former Australian rugby standout.
Jones has no ceiling, and it would be a tremendous development if he proves to be a legitimate challenger for playing time sooner rather than later.
Jenkins no doubt will have a chance to run with the starters in training camp, which is when the coaching staff and front office can begin to make more nuanced decisions regarding where everyone fits and what the depth chart, which will be fluid through August, should look like.
But this should not be viewed as a motivating tactic. A second-year player who missed most of his rookie season doesn’t need that. It is evidence the Bears perhaps have more questions about the offensive line than some envisioned. It remains to be seen how many answers are on the current roster.
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