Bears Make Big Decision on Left Tackle Ahead of MNF vs. Vikings

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Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown made a lineup change for Week 15's game against the Vikings.

The Chicago Bears will have third-round rookie Kiran Amegadjie make his first career NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, giving him the nod over veteran Larry Borom, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

The Bears had to make an adjustment to their lineup for Monday night’s rematch with the Vikings after starting left tackle Braxton Jones reported concussion-like symptoms to the team’s training staff one day before the game. As a result, the Bears added him to the injury report and ruled him out, raising questions about who would replace him.

While some believed Borom — who made two starts at left tackle earlier in the season — would slide back into the lineup, the Bears have instead elected to give Amegadjie his first career start and see what he can do down the stretch of their 4-9 campaign.

“Rookie Kiran Amegadjie will start at left tackle in place of Braxton Jones (concussion), who was a late add to the injury report,” Cronin reported on X before kickoff. “Bears opting to get a look at the third-rounder over [fourth-year] veteran Larry Borom.”

A separate report from The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs suggested the Bears did not even consider Borom to start in Week 15’s game. In reporting the same news about the rookie’s first career starter, he noted the Bears chose Amegadjie over “journeyman” backup Jake Curhan, who has played just 86 offensive snaps for Chicago this season.

The Bears (4-9) will kick off against the Vikings (11-2) at 8 p.m. Eastern Time tonight.

Larry Borom Squandered Opportunities With Bears

The Bears passing over Borom for a late-season start might have been more surprising if he had not already disappointed in his two spot-starts earlier in the 2024 season.

When Jones missed two games with a knee injury toward the middle of the season, the Bears called upon Borom to replace him in the lineup and saw him sink to new career lows in terms of both his pass-blocking and run-blocker. Pro Football Focus’ metrics have him at six sacks and 14 pressures allowed in just 123 pass-blocking snaps this season, and they are no more flattering when looking exclusively at his run-blocking.

Based on PFF’s grading system, Borom ranks 111th in pass-blocking (49.6 grade) and 128th in run-blocking (44.6) out of 134 qualifying offensive tackles in the NFL.

With Borom also playing on an expiring rookie contract, the Bears likely know all that they need to know about evaluating his long-term future with the team, hence their desire to see what Amegadjie — signed through 2027 — can offer them for the future.

Bears Choosing Kiran Amegadjie Could Help in 2025

The Bears’ decision to start Amegadjie against the Vikings in Week 15 could backfire if Minnesota’s edge rushers wreak havoc on rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense in the prime-time duel. From an evaluation perspective, though, rolling out the third-round rookie for his first career start seems like the correct long-term decision.

The Bears will have significant questions to answer about their offensive line when they reach the 2025 offseason. Pretty much every position is — or should be — considered up for grabs with the exception of the right tackle spot, where former top-10 pick Darnell Wright is holding things down for the Bears. Jones will return for the final year of his rookie contract, but the Bears could look to replace him in the offseason if they feel they need a stronger group of front-line blockers in front of Williams moving forward.

That’s where Amegadjie comes in. Before the Bears start considering long-term options at left tackle, they need to know what their third-round rookie pick can offer them and determine whether he can legitimately compete for a starting job in 2025. Should he impress, they may feel comfortable letting him and Jones duke it out for the job in 2025 and push off adding more competitors to the position until the 2026 offseason.

On the flip side, Amegadjie struggling against the Vikings — or any other starts he may receive down the stretch of the 2024 season — could convince the Bears that they need a more substantial option at left tackle moving forward. Even if it only prompts them to search for a new swing tackle, it helps them to have more intel on Amegadjie.