Matt Pryor, Offensive Guard
In all of the frenzied moves that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made, there was one that might be underrated. He brought in Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates to compete for the starting center job. The loser of the battle should be a high-level backup at not only center but also guard.
However, Poles also signed Matt Pryor. Pryor was the Philadelphia Eagles’ sixth-round pick in 2018. After spending that season on the practice squad, he stuck on the main roster for two seasons. He spent the next two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Last season, he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
Pryor is huge at 6-foot-7, 337 pounds. He spent most of his career at tackle.
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However, he has spent some time at guard the last couple of seasons. He could make a name for himself at both spots. Many see him as just a camp body. However, he could make the team and be a big part of the offensive line.
The Chicago Bears already have Larry Borom as a backup tackle. We also see how they have Shelton, Bates, or Ja’Tyre Carter as backup guards. However, something interesting happened during minicamp.
The Bears have a concern with starting guard Nate Davis. He missed time last season due to a death in his family and later an injury. The team thought he could get things back on track during the offseason. However, he was a no-show during OTAs. He showed up during minicamp but he did not practice.
In his absence, the Bears had some choices. They could have used Bates or Shelton in Davis’ absence. Instead, for most of OTAs and minicamp, they had Pryor taking the snaps with the starters. It was not until the end of minicamp that they started using Bates and Carter.
The fact that the Bears took a long look at Pryor indicates that they feel he could be an answer there. He may not be a starter but he could provide good depth help and strengthen the offensive line.
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