Chicago Bears: Projected starters on offense in 2017

Projecting the offensive starters for the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL season after the draft and heading into the heart of the offseason

For the most part, the Chicago Bears roster is set for the 2017 season. With free agency and the draft both in the books, not much is expected to change with the roster between now and the 53-man cut in early September.

With this being said, let’s take a look at the projected starters on offense for Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Quarterback: Mike Glennon

For now, Glennon is the starter. After signing a three-year, $45 million deal in March (although it’s essentially a one-year contract), Glennon will be under center for most of the 2017 season unless he gets hurt. Fans will certainly be calling for Mitch Trubisky to start sooner rather than later, but the Bears are prepared for 2017 to be a “redshirt” year for the second-overall pick. If Glennon stinks, he’ll be gone next offseason. If he’s competent, however, he could be a nice trade chip.

Running Back: Jordan Howard

This is a no-brainer. By making the Pro Bowl his rookie season (after essentially sitting out the first three games of the year), Howard is seen as a crucial building block for the Bears offense. His carries could be reduced by rookie Tarik Cohen, but Howard appears to be ready for another terrific season in 2017. The biggest question Howard still has to answer, however, is if he can avoid the “sophomore slump” that many others have suffered (i.e. Todd Gurley).

Wide Receivers: Kevin White, Cameron Meredith, Markus Wheaton

This is a questionable group. 2015 first-round pick Kevin White has to stay healthy (he’s missed 28 games in his two-year career), and Cameron Meredith has to show his 2016 season wasn’t just a one-year wonder. Markus Wheaton will face competition from Victor Cruz and Kendall Wright for the third receiver position, but Wheaton gets the nod here just because he’s on a two-year contract and Cruz/Wright are on one-year, “prove it” deals.

Tight End: Adam Shaheen

In a rebuilding year, why not give second-round pick Adam Shaheen as much playing time as possible? Shaheen will definitely face a learning curve jumping from small Ashland College to the NFL, but 2017 could be the perfect time for him to experience the growing pains.

Free agent signee Dion Sims is primarily a blocker, and veteran Zach Miller could be on the roster bubble after battling injuries the past couple of seasons. Don’t sleep on Daniel Brown, a former wide receiver who played pretty well down the stretch last season. Brown could develop into a solid backup option.

Tackle: Bobby Massie and Charles Leno. Jr.

The Bears tried to sign some big-name free agent offensive tackles (i.e. Ricky Wagner), but failed to complete a deal. As a result, Massie and Leno appear to enter the 2017 season as starters. Competition is expected from journeyman Tom Compton and rookie Jordan Morgan (if he switches from guard to tackle), but there’s not as much competition at this position as most would like to see.

Guards: Kyle Long, Josh Sitton

This is probably the strength of the entire offense. Long is recuperating from shoulder and ankle injuries, but he’s fully expected to be a “full-go” when the season kicks off. Sitton battled some injuries last year as well, but when he was healthy, he showed why he’s considered to be among the upper echelon of offensive lineman in the league. Long and Sitton will flip-flop positions this year, with Long moving to left guard and Sitton moving to right guard. This could be the first step in trying (again) to move Long to tackle, only this time to the premier left tackle position.

Next: Chicago Bears: Is Jordan Howard being overlooked?

Center: Cody Whitehair

Following an excellent rookie season, Whitehair appears to be entrenched as the starting center. Hroniss Grassu—who tore his ACL in training camp last year—will push him, but Whitehair should easily beat him out. The real question is what the Bears will do with Grassu, a third-round pick in 2015 whose only real position is center. If the Bears do move Kyle Long to tackle, Whitehair could slide over to guard with Grassu taking over at center.

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