NEWSLETTER
Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy is all of us right now.
Because of all the injuries/COVID, #Bears head coach Matt Nagy said he has no idea who will get the starts along his offensive line.
— Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. (@wiltfongjr) November 4, 2020
With that in mind, let’s explore which healthy bodies Nagy has at his disposal at the moment.
Mind you, this could change at any time … because who knows where the injury bug will start nibbling next.
CHARLES LENO JR., LEFT TACKLE
• Acquired: 2014 NFL Draft, 7th round (246th overall)
• Experience: 94 games (86 starts)
• Measurables: 6-3, 307 pounds
Leno is the longest-tenured, most experienced, and best lineman among the healthy bodies on the Bears. Playing left tackle already comes with plenty of responsibility. So in addition to that, Leno must be an anchor and veteran leader to a line with just 23 games of professional starting experience under their belt.
So let’s get to know the rest …
RASHAAD COWARD, LEFT AND RIGHT GUARD / RIGHT TACKLE / NOSE TACKLE
• Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent (2017)
• Experience: 21 games, 13 starts
• Measurables: 6-5, 326 pounds
Coward’s 13 starts at guard over the last two years make him the second-most experienced healthy lineman. And, yeah, that makes me as sad as you would expect. Nothing against Coward, a hard-working grinder who rose through the ranks of being a UDFA, then made the position switch from defensive to offensive line as a second-year player.
ALEX BARS, GUARD / CENTER
• Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019
• Experience: 8 games, 0 starts (but 33 offensive snaps in 2020)
• Measurables: 6-5, 314 pounds
Between being an undrafted free agent, Notre Dame product, and long-shot to make the roster when he arrived in 2019, Alex Bars is the favorite underdog story of many Bears fans. Bars’ positional flexibility could be a strength here. However, that he is behind a converted nose tackle on the depth chart makes me wonder how much the Bears like/trust Bars. Then again, it might not matter because he is one of the few healthy bodies on the roster.
ARLINGTON HAMBRIGHT, GUARD
• Acquired: 2020 NFL Draft, 7th round (226th overall)
• Experience: None
• Measurables: 6-5, 300 pounds
Hambright was drafted as a developmental prospect who was a left tackle by trade, but projected to be an interior lineman at the next level. His prospect profile reads exactly how you would expect it to for a seventh-round lineman. Hambright’s pros include the ability to “generate decent push” in the running game, while weaknesses include “limited experience” and the potential to “face difficult adjustment period.”
LACHAVIOUS SIMMONS, TACKLE
• Acquired: 2020 NFL Draft, 7th round (227th overall)
• Experience: None
• Measurables: 6-5, 315 pounds
Another seventh-round pick who comes with considerable developmental hurdles to clear, Bears Scout Sam Summerville’s breakdown of the pick is one that has me intrigued to follow Hambright’s growth:
“He’s a really good football player. Ablel to play both guard and tackle. He’s a really smart guy. He’ll be able to learn all of the spots on our offensive line and able to work wherever Coach Castillo wants to put him.”
Nicknamed Pig (no, seriously), Simmons has positional flexibility having made starts at left tackle, left guard, and right tackle throughout his college career at Tennessee State. That could come in handy because *gestures at the Bears offensive line.*
AARON NEARY, CENTER
• Acquired: Signed to the practice squad on November 3, 2020.
• Experience: 1 game, 1 start
• Measurables: 6-4, 299 pounds
Neary has one game of professional experience under his belt, and it was a start while as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. The Eastern Washington product was a two-time first-team All-Big Sky performer and second-team FCS All-American, thus making for a unique prospect profile. To be clear, it didn’t happen at the highest level of college football. However, that he played at a top-tier level in that realm of college football is better than the alternative.
DIETER EISELEN, CENTER
• Acquired: Signed as a free agent after the 2020 NFL Draft
• Experience: None
• Measurables: 6-4, 310 pounds
As an ex-rugby player who grew up in South Africa, played collegiately went to Yale, and went undrafted, Eiselen would’ve become your favorite Bears camp story in a normal offseason.
BADARA TRAORE, TACKLE
• Acquired: Signed as a free agent after the 2020 NFL Draft
• Experience: None
• Measurables: 6-7, 320 pounds
Another raw rookie with a projectable frame, but is lacking experience. Traore played just 26 games at the upper levels of college football, but was on LSU’s national title winner last year. Even still … he never projected to make an impact in the near future. But at this rate, he’ll be pushed into action sooner, rather than later.
