Getty Larry Borom started eight games as a rookie for the Bears in 2021.
Offensive lineman Larry Borom played in 10 games during his rookie campaign with the Chicago Bears, but it doesn’t look like he impressed new general manager Ryan Poles all that much with what he put on tape.
The Bears selected Borom in the fifth round out of Missouri (No. 151 overall) last year, and due to numerous injuries on the offensive line, he wound up starting eight games, spending the bulk of his season playing right tackle (he also played 85 snaps at left tackle).
In 633 snaps played on offense as a rookie in 2021, Borom allowed 32 total pressures, four quarterback hits and 5.0 sacks, while also getting flagged four times, per PFF.
According to insider Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, Poles is less than impressed with what he has seen from Borom.
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Hughes: People Don’t Understand How Much Poles ‘Disliked’ Bears O-Line
“Just don’t think people realize how much Poles disliked the Bears OL,” Hughes tweeted on March 15, adding: “He’s not sure (Teven) Jenkins is a tackle. He’s not sure Borom can play. Older FAs don’t fix that.”
Just don’t think people realize how much Poles disliked the Bears OL. He’s not sure Jenkins is a tackle. He’s not sure Borom can play. Older FAs don’t fix that.
Several days later, in his March 21 column, Hughes revealed he was told two things from his sources about Chicago’s O-line: free agent James Daniels was a goner and Borom wasn’t held in high regard. Considering Daniels has already departed, Hughes has been accurate in his reports so far.
“Two things I was told about the offensive line when Ryan Poles was hired were: (a) James Daniels was not going to be re-signed and (b) the opinion of Larry Borom was not particularly high,” Hughes wrote. “But this was before Poles and Flus engaged a thorough evaluation of the entire roster. Has that opinion changed at all? Do they view Borom as a potential starter? Versatile backup? Anything?”
This strongly suggests Poles and company will also be looking to the draft for more help on the line, and it also puts the futures of two of Chicago’s 2021 draft picks — Jenkins and Borom — into question. Maybe they’ll both play, or maybe they’ll both switch positions. Perhaps they won’t see the field much at all. What Poles does in the draft will be telling.
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Poles Has Stressed Importance of O-Line in a Big Way
From the moment he arrived in the Windy City, Poles, who was an offensive lineman himself at Boston College for four years, has emphasized improving the team’s offensive line.
“I think it starts with the foundation in terms of the O‐line and establishing that run game which then leads to explosive plays,” Poles said at his introductory press conference in January. “We’ve got to continue to work on that, get that to a level, and I think you’ll start to see more points be scored and more efficiency, more explosive plays. Everything kind of plays off of that. That’s going to be a focal point.”
So far this offseason, the Bears have tendered O-linemen Sam Mustipher and Lachavious Simmons, while signing former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick and ex-Minnesota Vikings OL Dakota Dozier.
Surely Poles has a few other moves in mind, and it won’t be too long until we know what they are.
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Bears GM ‘Not Particularly High’ on 2021 Rookie, Insider Says