Nas wrote:
I've been trying to make sense of things. I don't think Poles trusts his guards. When both are locked in, they're really good, but both are rarely locked in or healthy. I don't think it's unreasonable to question the year round commitment of Jenkins or Davis. I can see Poles sliding Wright or Jones inside. I think Wright would be the most likely candidate. Pressure up the middle kills any quarterback. Poles believes he addressed center.
I think the Bears will trade down unless Alt or Harrison Jr are there. They'll target Latham, Fuaga, Verse, or Olu after trading down. They'll use their acquired 2nd round pick to address receiver. This season is all about giving Caleb the foundation he needs for future success.
There's never enough depth on an OL and the interior will be a question for this year and beyond. Is Bates a quality NFL starting center? At best, the jury is out but he seems more like a stopgap. Will Nate Davis play better and is he worth his current deal? Next year, he'll either play or the team will move on. I don't think they will keep for limited availability. Can Jenkins stay healthy and will the Bears give him a long-term deal? So far, the answer is no to both questions. The guy can play, but he also is injury prone. I don't see the Bears giving him a long-term deal unless he plays the full season and a deal is structured in a way that takes into account his availability (which Jenkins can probably do better than in a free agent market).
I do agree with you that they, beyond next season, there are likely big questions and some of these questions will be concerns heading into the season.
I don't see the Bears sliding Wright inside because OTs are more highly valued. If anything, Wright is either set long-term at RT or they still would consider him at LT with injuries.
I think OT is still a possibility at #9, but if they keep their picks, one of these 4 will be an OL. The draft is considered deep at OL so they will likely add another piece. As much as the questions remain on Braxton Jones, we'll know more in 2 weeks, but they can still use a young OT who can play LT/RT (Borom is not a piece that they can move forward on), and keep adding depth to the interior OL, maybe a starting center depending on how the draft falls.