Chicago Bears: 5 Storylines to watch vs. Titans in preseason Week 3

3. Does the offensive line perform better with players coming back?

One of the biggest disappointments in the preseason has been the offensive line play. That was especially true in last week’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Both quarterbacks who played were under constant pressure.

A big reason for the struggles has been the injuries that hit the unit. Left tackle missed all of training camp due to a back injury that needed surgery so he is out, maybe for the entire season.

The offensive line unit is recovering, however. The Bears signed Jason Peters to take over at left tackle. He has a couple of practices under his belt now and will play the game. The team wants to see if he’s in good enough shape to play an entire game.

Elijah Wilkinson played at left tackle. However, he’s used to playing on the right side. He now gets to play backup on the right side. He could also get some reps at left tackle to see if he could step in if Peters suffers an injury himself.

Another welcome addition is James Daniels. He missed some time but now returns to the interior of the line. That part of the line was strong at the end of last season, so having him return makes it even stronger.

Germain Ifedi’s return to right tackle helps settle the line. He did a good job last season when he moved from right guard to right tackle. He’ll be the starter there once again.

It’ll be interesting to see if the line performance improves with the return of those key players. The Bears made a concerted effort to improve the unit. With the struggles, the fans have little patience. They feel it’s the same story all over again. The linemen want to show that things are different this time.