Chicago Bears: Bobby Massie gives line real upside
It is not their biggest move of the day, but the Chicago Bears have made an interesting addition on their offensive line. Bobby Massie has been brought in to play RT or the team. Great value signing, but what happens to Kyle Long?
The Chicago Bears kicked off their free agency period with an exciting addition on the defensive side of the ball. ILB Danny Trevathan will undoubtedly help the team improve going forward, but the Bears are far from done making moves. For their second free agent addition of the off season, the Bears have signed offensive lineman Bobby Massie.
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The move was first reported by Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
OT Bobby Massie is signing with the #Bears. @schwartzfeinsod rep him.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) March 9, 2016
The 26-year-old Massie is an athletically gifted offensive lineman with nice upside going forward. Massie has the raw skill-set to be an absolute force in both pass protection and the running game at right tackle, but his results have been mixed through the early part of his career.
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Massie has quick feet and obvious power that makes him an exciting player at the right tackle position, but he consistently struggles with technique and footwork that gets him into trouble. The Bears are taking a chance on a talented young player. While this is far from a sure thing, giving Massie a chance to grow could pay major dividends down the road for Chicago.
The first question that immediately comes to mind with the Bears bringing in a right tackle is; What happens to Kyle Long? A former All-Pro at right guard, Long made the move outside to right tackle, with the Bears seemingly have an eye on him moving to left tackle down the road.
However, Long struggled on the outside in 2015. He started to play better down the stretch, and he has the pure ability to be a good tackle, but Long was dominant at guard, and we did not see the same kind of talent out of him on the outside. Instead of flipping him over to left tackle, the Bears seem ready to move forward with Charles Leno as the blindside protector.
As Cole reports, this leaves a return to right guard for Long.
Plan for #Bears is to play Bobby Massie at RT and put Kyle Long back at RG, source said.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) March 9, 2016
There is not a lot of proven talent along the Bears’ offensive line, but the likely starting group of Leno, Matt Slauson, Hroniss Grasu, Long and Massie bring some impressive upside to the table.
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This is an ultimate risk/reward unit for the Bears, but they are in a nice position to take some chances for upside.