Getty Bears first-round rookie offensive tackle Darnell Wright.
The key offensive line injuries are only continuing to mount for the Chicago Bears as they work through the final full week of 2023 training camp.
During practice on Tuesday, August 22, the Bears had first-round rookie and starting right tackle Darnell Wright drop out of practice with an apparent ankle injury after he limped off the field at one point and did not return for the remainder of the day.
“I have not gotten clarity on that yet. I don’t know exactly what that is, but we’ll see,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said when asked about Wright’s injury after practice.
The Bears losing Wright — the No. 10 overall pick in 2023 — for an extended period of time would be a major problem for their current roster. While Larry Borom is available to step up on the right side for however long Wright is unavailable, the Bears went out of their way to find a high-level replacement for him during the 2023 offseason; though, he has been Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded lineman through two preseason games.
The Bears also have questionable tackle depth beyond Borom. Kellen Diesch has been impressive from the left tackle spot this preseason, allowing just one hurry and one pressure over 24 pass-blocking snaps and earning a fourth-best PFF grade of 87.7 at the position, but it may be hard to trust a 2022 undrafted rookie with no in-season play.
Perhaps the Bears will get good news about Wright’s injury on Wednesday and will not have to worry about their contingency plans, but it is a situation worth monitoring.
Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair Also Dealing With Injuries
The Bears’ starting offensive line unit has seen better days in terms of health. Beyond whatever is going on with Wright, they also have left guard Teven Jenkins missing time with calf strains that could sideline him to begin the regular season and center Cody Whitehair playing guard again as he recovers from an injury to his snapping hand.
Fortunately for Whitehair, Eberflus classified his hand as “not a big issue,” but the team still considers his injury to be day-to-day. Things are bleaker for Jenkins, whom Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune reported on August 20 could miss as many as six weeks.
“You all saw Jenkins is dealing with an injury, and as we stated before, we will say that it is a week-to-week issue, bigger than a day-to-day [injury],” Eberflus told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s all we’re going to disclose at this point.”
The Bears also have a few of their other interior players ramping back up to full strength. Nate Davis — one of their bigger free agent acquisitions in 2023 — has been back in at right guard since August 16’s practice, but he missed a few weeks and has some catching up to do. Backup interior lineman Lucas Patrick also just returned to team reps recently from his own injury and, per Eberflus, is “getting endurance back.”
Now, with the exception of Jenkins, the Bears seem to have a chance of being clear from all of their offensive line injuries before hosting the Green Bay Packers for their season opener on September 10, but there are questions about how cohesive the unit will be for that matchup after spending so much time shuffling around over the past month.
Could Injuries Drive Bears to Sign Another Veteran OL?
The Bears have mostly resisted making any big-money additions to their offensive line since the new league year began back in March. They signed Davis to a three-year, $30 million contract at the start of free agency and used their top draft choice on Wright, but there have been no veteran patchwork signings this year like there were in 2022.
With so many guys banged up, maybe the Bears should consider changing that.
Tackle is the big area of concern. Even before Wright limped out of practice, the Bears did not have a single offensive tackle on their roster with more than two seasons of NFL playing experience, which is a risky bet with a second-year blindside blocker and a rookie right tackle being trusted to hold things down for quarterback Justin Fields.
If the Bears want to remedy that situation, they could look into signing former left tackles Taylor Lewan or Eric Fisher purely for the experience they would bring to the table. For the right side specifically, they could also consider Marcus Cannon — the longtime New England Patriots right tackle — if he is healthy and ready to play.
The interior positions offer a few more free agent options for the Bears. Dalton Risner is available and, at just 28 yards old, is a signing who could be brought in for the short term and end up staying for the long term, if he proves himself with his play. Risner has allowed just 10 sacks on more than 1,200 career pass-blocking snaps and touted one of the best run-block win rates in the league last season, according to ESPN analytics.
Former Washington Commanders center Chase Roullier and left guard Andrew Norwell are also proven veterans who could each have appeal to the Bears, who still have plenty of cap space — about $16.34 million — to throw around before the start of the season.