Chicago Bears Free Agency: Plan at offensive line confusing

As the Chicago Bears head into the next wave of free agency they still have work to do along the offensive line. Trying to figure out what general manager Ryan Poles’ plan for the unit is proving to be difficult.

The first wave of free agency in the NFL came and went. Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles promised that he wouldn’t be active and possibly overspending on players. He stayed true to his word. He went with second-tier players, most of whom were either drafted in the sixth round or went undrafted to start their careers.

Apparently, Poles and the Bears are pretty much giving away the 2022 season. You cannot think that they’ll have many wins with so many late-round and undrafted players. You do need some top talent. Poles hopes to get some through the draft this year and then use the astronomical cap space he’ll have in 2023.

In the meantime, however, if the Bears are awful in 2022 how will that affect free agency in 2023? Will players still come if it looks like a prolonged rebuild?

The Bears need some building blocks to raise hopes for the future. One of those blocks is the offensive line. Poles promised that the offensive line would be his top priority this offseason. He went through the game films and came out unimpressed with the work the unit did in 2021. He promised a change.

Well, we have seen a change. James Daniels walked and joined his former teammate Mitchell Trubisky and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Poles brought back Sam Mustipher, who struggled mightily in 2021, though not as a starter. He’ll now back up new starting center Lucas Patrick. Patrick is a natural guard but stepped up a few games in Green Bay when their starter went down. Now Patrick is a full-time center.

That means there is an opening at guard. One of the prevailing thoughts was that Poles would move either Teven Jenkins or Larry Borom to the right guard spot, replacing Daniels. Then he’d go out and find a dependable veteran left tackle.

The left tackle is a crucial position to get right. He blocks the quarterback’s blindside. If you want your franchise quarterback to succeed you need to have a good left tackle.

It appears, however, that Jenkins and Borom likely remain the Chicago Bears’ bookend tackles. Some of the better left tackles have come and gone, with the Bears not really in on any of them. The latest was former New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead. He signed with the Miami Dolphins.

Now there aren’t many options left. There still is Eric Fisher but his injury might be a concern. That might be the reason he is still unsigned. Poles did meet with Ryan Bates, but Bates left the facility without a contract. Also, Bates is a restricted free agent, meaning the Buffalo Bills could match the Bears’ offer and retain him.

So despite not liking what he saw, Poles might not make any drastic changes to the unit. Yes, Patrick adds a toughness to the line that it lacked, but how will he perform as the full-time starter at center?

Furthermore, it looks like the Chicago Bears will start the season with a left tackle who has injury concerns and who only played in six games (two starts). Additionally, he played mostly on the right side during his college career.

On the right side, the Bears will have another inexperienced player. Borom also suffered from an injury that cost him many games in his rookie campaign, missing seven games.

Poles is in danger of becoming the latest general manager who talks about improving the offensive line yet doesn’t make the moves to build one. Again, he likely goes to the draft to pick a lineman, but that means there’ll be another inexperienced player along the line. The Chicago Bears hope their impatient fans suffer through another frustrating season. The 2023 season better be worth it.