The Chicago Bears continue to experiment with different combinations along the offensive line in training camp. For the most part, things had appeared settled over the last few practices.
With Lucas Patrick sidelined indefinitely with a right hand injury, Sam Mustipher has moved from right guard to center in his place. Cody Whitehair has been a mainstay at left guard, as has Larry Borom at right tackle.
Veterans Riley Reiff and Michael Schofield have been ramping up as they learn the playbook, and each has been splitting reps at left tackle and right guard, respectively.
The rookies have been featured on the offensive line, including Braxton Jones seeing most of the reps at left tackle with Ja’Tyre Carter seeing some at right guard. Doug Kramer initially replaced Patrick at center, and Zachary Thomas looks to be Whitehair’s backup at left guard.
But Tuesday’s practice saw a new wrinkle in the offensive line grouping, particularly at the tackle position. Jones saw every rep at left tackle with the starters while Reiff was kicked over to right tackle, where he split reps with Borom.
It’s the first time Reiff has seen reps outside of left tackle and the first time Borom hasn’t been the primary guy at right tackle.
At this point, it’s still far too early to gauge exactly what this starting offensive line will look like. Especially given they’ve only had one padded practice. But it’s clear Eberflus isn’t done experimenting with different combinations to find the best for quarterback Justin Fields.
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