The Chicago Bears had a patchwork offensive line in the previous two seasons. In season three of his regime, general manager Ryan Poles likes what he has on paper for the unit ahead of the regular season.
The Bears added plenty of depth to the offensive line this offseason. The Bears signed interior offensive linemen Matt Pryor, Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, and Bill Murray in free agency. They drafted Kiran Amegadjie in the third round of April’s draft.
The Chicago Bears are comfortable with the O-Line
Poles has high praise for the newcomers. During his press conference on Wednesday, Poles said he’s comfortable with the offensive line.
“I actually let one of the guys go on cut-downs and I was like, ‘Man, you did an excellent job. I wish we could keep you here,'” Poles said, via the Bears’ website. “He said, ‘This is the deepest room I’ve ever been a part of.’ So we have more versatility, more depth. Shoot, we have 10 guys, so I feel comfortable. Obviously, you want your starting five to be healthy and ready to go, but I feel more confident in the depth of our offensive line than I ever have before.”
One can’t argue with Poles’ assessment of depth. The Bears have players they can plug in when injuries happen this season. However, there are still worries about the talent of the starting five.
Nate Davis missed most of training camp and didn’t look good in the limited snaps he took in the preseason. Teven Jenkins has a history of injury. The Bears had a questionable center battle at training camp. Braxton Jones has issues handling the bull rush.
Ryan Poles: The Bears O-Line can be really good
Poles thinks the starting five can play at a high level this season, and he used paying Nate Davis in free agency as an example of how he invested in the offensive line in recent seasons.
“I think that group can be really good,” Poles said. “In terms of investing in it, Darnell was a first-round pick, we traded for Bates, who has versatility, paid Nate. Coleman Shelton’s been a great addition. He’s a glue guy for up front. His ability to get everybody on the same page and execute at a high level has been really good. I think Braxton’s improved and Teven is playing his best ball too.”
Hopefully, the offensive line can live up to the standard Poles has seen this offseason and in the preseason. The Bears need to protect Caleb Williams this season, and the offensive line holds a considerable part of that responsibility.
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