Chicago Bears: 5 Biggest position battles at 2020 training camp

2. Starting right guard

The offensive line is the area where most Chicago Bears fans felt needed a complete overhaul. This is impossible, however, considering how much dead money and cap hit that would cause.

Pace decided to add a few players to the line for depth and not overhaul it. Last season, the right side of the line went down due to injury. The left guard and center were solid once the coaches ended their experiment by switching James Daniels and Cody Whitehair back to where they were more comfortable.

Charles Leno Jr. needs to commit fewer penalties. In case he or the right tackle, Bobby Massie, cannot get back to the successes they had in 2018, the Bears signed Jason Spriggs, who can take over as the starter.

That leaves the right guard spot. Kyle Long was a staple there, but the mounting injuries he suffered took its toll, and he retired at the end of the 2019 season. With his retirement, the Bears had to find a replacement.

The Bears decided not to go for a starting guard through the draft (except for drafting two linemen with their final picks in the seventh round). Instead, they signed Germain Ifedi and have him battle for the starting job with Alex Bars and Rashaad Coward.

Bars was a talented player at Notre Dame who suffered an injury. Many considered him a second or third round talent but he went undrafted. The Bears didn’t use him much in 2019 so he could continue to rehab and to learn the offense. He’s now healthy and ready to compete.

Coward was thrown in as the starter at right guard when Long went down. He wasn’t expected to start and it showed. He struggled as a starter. Now, with an offseason to prepare, he’s more prepared to start. He’s the incumbent so let’s see if he can defend his job.

Of the three players, Ifedi has the best chance to start. Yes, he was a tackle for most of his time in Seattle with the Seahawks, and he struggled, but he was out of position. In his rookie season he was the starting guard and played well there. The Seahawks decided to move him over, and much like moving Daniels to center, he was uncomfortable.

A move back to guard might help him succeed. He was able to move bodies and open up holes, something running back David Montgomery desperately needs to pick up bigger chunks of yards than he did in 2019.

This is a key battle to look at. If the winner plays well, then that bodes well for not only the quarterback’s protection but also for the running game’s success.