Caleb Williams and the Bears' offense receive bittersweet news regarding the status of the offensive line heading into matchup vs. Lions
The Chicago Bears' offensive line has had a rough season in 2024, there's no other way to say it, between the number of injuries and the overall level of production.That's in turn led to a rough rookie season for quarterback Caleb Williams who has been sacked 58 times this season, 13 times more than the […]
The Chicago Bears' offensive line has had a rough season in 2024, there's no other way to say it, between the number of injuries and the overall level of production.
That's in turn led to a rough rookie season for quarterback Caleb Williams who has been sacked 58 times this season, 13 times more than the next closest quarterback.
Last week against the Minnesota Vikings, the issues up-front were just as evident despite Williams only being sacked two times in the loss.
The main glaring issue was at left tackle with rookie third-rounder Kiran Amegadjie making his first career start in place of Braxton Jones, who did not play due to a concussion that was self reported the day prior to kickoff.
In the loss, Amegadjie allowed a bad strip sack during the first quarter and was called for four different penalties. Needless to say, the offense and Williams missed having Jones protecting the blindside.
Well, Williams and the offense got some good news following Thursday's practice. After being listed as did not participate during Wednesday's walk through, Jones was back on the field as a full participant. That should be a good sign that the left tackle cleared the concussion protocol and should be in line to return to the starting lineup against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
But, just when things were looking back up, the unit also got hit with bad news at another position up-front. Left guard Teven Jenkins did not participate for the second straight day with a calf injury.
Being without Jenkins on Sunday will be a bigger blow to the offense than missing Jones last week because that's a position the Bears are already thin at. At left tackle, the Bears had multiple options to fill in for Jones and chose to play Amegadjie. At left guard, the Bears don't have many options.
When Jenkins missed time earlier in the season, Bill Murray filled in at the position but he's currently on the injured reserve with a pectoral injury. And it's looking like Ryan Bates will miss yet another game considering he's still in concussion protocol and hasn't practiced all week.
The likely fill in for Jenkins' spot at left guard would have to be Doug Kramer Jr. or Jake Curhan. Kramer has played 56 snaps at left guard this season, allowing a total of just one sack and three pressures. Curhan has played 68 snaps at left guard, allowing a total of 0 sacks and three pressures.
It'll be interesting to see which option the Bears go with if Jenkins is unable to suit up for a second time this season. Regardless of who it is, they'll have big shoes to fill. Jenkins has had a pretty productive season at the position despite dealing with multiple injuries keeping him banged up.
Overall, it'll for sure be nice to have Jones back in the lineup after what happened last week. And if Jenkins can't play, hopefully whoever fills in puts a better game together off the bench protecting the team's rookie quarterback.
