Offensive tackle was a revolving door for the Bears in 2021
Possibly the worst decision Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy made preparing for the 2021 season was after going all in on Justin Fields as their long sought quarterback of the future they thought they'd protect his blind side with a plug and play second round rookie in Teven Jenkins who started 22 of 29 games at Oklahoma State on the right side.
They compounded that mistake by assuming they'd just move Germain Ifedi back outside to right tackle. Remember he failed at tackle in Seattle and a year earlier Pace lauded his signing to play guard telling us that was his real position after his struggles at tackle with the Seahawks.
The backup plan for that was Elijah Wilkinson to either start until Jenkins was ready to be the No. 3 swing tackle, but Wilkinson played neither side well.
Positives: Fortunately for the Bears future Hall Of Fame left tackle Jason Peters was just hanging out at his local fishing hole awaiting a possible phone call and his 40th birthday when desperation set in for the Bears.
With no offseason and almost no training camp to speak of, Peters stepped in, was the opening day starter at left tackle, played his way into shape by week four or five, and while clearly no longer in his prime, he gave the Bears the best play at the position they've had since John Tait left after the 2008 season.
Fifth-round rookie Larry Borom proved to be a steal after showing up looking like a completely different man from his final game at Missouri to how he arrived at rookie mini camp. Shedding over 30 pounds and showing surprising athleticism, he ended up taking the 5th most snaps of any offensive lineman on the team.
Negatives: Jenkins went from pivotal player to losing most of his rookie season and will return in 2022 still an exciting prospect but now one with a back history and no more clarity than the day he was drafted as to whether he can play on the left side or belongs on the right.
Ifedi was once again among the league leaders in false starts, as he was annually at right tackle in Seattle and struggled on and off in pass protection before missing almost the entire second half of the season to a knee injury.
Wilkinson is not a starting NFL tackle on either side.
Defining moments: 1. On Aug. 14 with Jenkins having missed the entire training camp with back spasms and still listed as day-to-day the Bears signed Peters.
2. Four days later the team announced Jenkins would undergo back surgery and they hoped to have him back some time in the second half of the season.
3. Peters bruises a quadriceps in the 2nd quarter of the opener vs. the Rams and Borom is forced to step in at left tackle where he holds his own showing the first signs Pace may have another 5th round steal.
Contract status: Peters, Ifedi and Wilkinson are all free agents leaving Jenkins, Borom and Lachavious Simmons as the only tackles on the roster. Alex Bars can play anywhere on the offensive line but has been primarily inside or a 6th offensive lineman with the Bears.
Grade: C + (Would be C -/D + without Peters)
The plan: Every effort will be made to develop Jenkins and Borom as bookend tackles of the future unless ...
Ryan Poles has said building starts on the offensive line and he plans to build through the draft and be strategic in free agency.
Bringing Peters back would be a great story, but at 40 years old seems unlikely.
Terron Armstead, Trent Brown and Eric Fisher are middle-age free agents, and Cam Robinson and Orlando Brown are young free agents. All are quality to very good tackles and all have played on the left side.
Signing one to lock down Fields' blind side right now, moving Jenkins to the right side where his ceiling appears to be the highest and kicking Borom inside to guard where his ceiling may be highest could be the way to go.
If the Bears then re-sign James Daniels and move him back to center where his ceiling is highest, they might have the makings of a pretty good offensive line.