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With the development of second-year quarterback Justin Fields of utmost importance, having a dependable offensive line is paramount to his success. So there was obvious concern surrounding the offensive line with questions at the starting right guard and both tackle positions.
But in two days, general manager Ryan Poles drastically improved Chicago’s offensive line with two moves ahead of training camp. The Bears signed tackle Riley Reiff and guard Michael Schofield to one-year deals, and there’s no denying that they provide an upgrade at their respective positions.
It’s not necessarily a long-term answer for the offensive line. But considering the state of the roster, it certainly helps to bring in two experienced veteran starters to help protect the team’s hopeful franchise quarterback.
The additions of Reiff and Schofield should paint a clearer picture of what we can expect this offensive line to look like. Reiff should be the starter at left tackle, Schofield should start at right guard while Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick fill the left guard and center roles. That leaves the right tackle spot up for grabs, in what should be a battle between last year’s rookie offensive linemen Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins.
But nothing’s official until it’s confirmed. Head coach Matt Eberflus said there’s no timeline for the starting offensive line combination, although they’d prefer to have it locked down as soon as possible.
“There’s not a deadline,” Eberflus said. “But like I said in the spring, the sooner the better. We just added a couple of pieces. So that’s going to be two more pieces to the puzzle.”
I guess you could say Reiff and Schofield are the missing puzzle pieces.