Developments on the injury front have thrown whatever plans the Bears had for their offensive line in 2021 for a loop. And that’s saying something, knowing how many different combinations the team could have conceivably put out there this season. But with injuries across the board and new bodies coming into play, I think this is a good time to reset the room and see what Chicago’s football team has going on across the line.
Teven Jenkins
I don’t imagine it is easy to deal with back injuries for men as large as Jenkins. And considering how the Bears have shown a tendency to slow-play a player’s return, it wouldn’t surprise me if they acted with an abundance of caution when dealing with Jenkins. There is nothing wrong with taking that path. In fact, I think it is one the team will ultimately take.
After completing the surgery, there is hope Jenkins returns later in the season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter speculates a November target date for a return. But as Schefter also notes, there is a real chance Jenkins doesn’t play this year. At this point, the Bears should prepare contingency plans as if Jenkins won’t return this season. Therefore, if Jenkins does come back, it will be a pleasant surprise to add a talented depth piece to this group. Or, in other words, treat this like a Kyle Long situation in terms of care and caution.
Jason Peters
The latest update regarding Chicago’s newest left tackle is that he has his familiar No. 71 back in his possession. This means Arlington Hambright, who had been wearing 71 before Peters’ arrival, is now wearing No. 53. Beyond that, there hasn’t been much to offer as far as updates go. Peters isn’t practicing and Nagy can’t say when his new left tackle will join his teammates because he is still going through the on-boarding protocols. And because Peters is unvaccinated, the process is a bit more tedious and takes a little more time. As if players and teams were in need of more incentives to receive a vaccination to fight COVID-19.
For the time being, the Bears’ online depth chart lists Peters as LT2 behind Elijah Wilkinson.
James Daniels Is Back
Chicago Audible’s Nicholas Moreano serves up the best news of the day, as far as lineman health is concerned:
James Daniels said "it's good to be back. It's good to be practicing."
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) August 18, 2021
Daniels left the team’s August 3 practice with a thigh injury, but today’s practice marks his return to action. That is a 15-day absence for those of you keeping count at home. And while a nearly two-week absence isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, remember that Daniels was limited to just five games in 2020 because of a pectoral injury. Getting Daniels as much practice reps as he rebounds from an injury shortened season should be a priority as he builds toward another Week 1 start.
Sam Mustipher
In addition to having superb taste in Chicago style pizza, I like Sam Mustipher’s angle when it comes to trying to soak up whatever he can from new teammate Jason Peters (via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain):
“I’ll try to take in everything I can from him and just learn. He’s 39 years old. He’s probably taken a million pass sets in his career. To understand the knowledge that he has for the game, the knowledge he has for training and the preparation it takes to play that long at that high of a level, I’ll probably be in his back pocket. I’ll probably be asking him more questions than he wants me to ask. But I just want to learn from him and understand, ‘What do you do that sets you apart from everybody else?’”
I’m sure Peters won’t be fond of being reminded of his age. However, I hope he can pass on his wealth of knowledge to his teammates.
Other Linemen
When it comes to rookie Larry Borom, who has been in concussion protocol since August 6, Nagy says: “Again, I haven’t heard a whole lot on that other than that he’s going through the protocol.” (Usayd Koshul)
Germain Ifedi (hip flexor) remains on the PUP List.
I’ll be curious to see how Arlington Hambright progresses over the next two weeks. Hambright stepped in at left guard in place of Cody Whitehair when the second unit entered last Saturday’s preseason game. He was in on 67 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, which was the third most among Bears players. Only Elijah Wilkinson (77%) and Lachavious Simmons (100%) were in on a higher percentage of plays. Now feels like a good time to find out if Simmons and Hambright can turn into seventh-round steals that we remember (for the right reasons) from the 2020 NFL Draft.