Getty Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears looks on during minicamp.
With rookie quarterback Caleb Williams now leading the way in Chicago, the Bears have to make protecting him a top priority.
The Bears have already begun re-vamping their O-line, making several changes this offseason. They added Matt Pryor and Coleman Shelton in free agency, while trading for former Buffalo Bills lineman Ryan Bates and drafting former Yale OL Kiran Amegadjie in the third round of this year’s draft.
Still, the swing tackle position remains a question mark for Chicago. Veteran Larry Borom is currently the team’s top swing tackle, and Amegadjie, who is nursing a quadriceps injury acquired last season in college, is expected to take some time to develop.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay put together five trades that teams with rookie quarterbacks “should consider.” For the Bears, Kay believes “acquiring offensive line depth for Caleb Williams” is something Chicago must still address, with swing tackle high on the list. Kay proposed a trade in which the Bears would send a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for OL Thayer Munford Jr.
“Thayer Munford Jr. could be the perfect trade target for the Bears to fill their swing tackle void. Kay wrote on May 13.
A Bears Trade for Raiders’ OL Thayer Munford Is an Intriguing Idea
“While Chicago did a fantastic job patching up their glaring hole at the center spot by signing Coleman Shelton and trading for Ryan Bates—moves that may even result in a high-level training camp competition for snapping duties in 2024—the team still needs depth in the remainder of the offensive trenches,” Kay added.
Munford, 24, is coming off an impressive second season with the Raiders. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound OL played in 15 games for Vegas last year, starting 10. He played 210 snaps at left tackle and 263 snaps on the right side, allowing 19 quarterback hits, five hurries and four sacks. He was penalized just once, for holding.
“While he’s a potential starter at right tackle for the Raiders this year, Vegas did draft a quality prospect in DJ Glaze with a third-round pick this year and should be willing to move on from Munford for the right price,” Kay noted.
While that may be true, Kay’s estimation that Las Vegas would move on from the young OL for a sixth-round pick seems a tad unlikely. It may take at least a fifth- or a fourth-rounder to get the Raiders to move him.
Bears Rookie OL Kiran Amegadjie Missed Rookie Minicamp With Injury
#Bears OL Kiran Amegadjie won’t be practicing this offseason due to quad injury, but still learning from OL coach Chris Morgan. @fox32news @foxkickoff
While the Bears have high hopes for Amegadjie, the rookie OL will begin his NFL career a tad behind schedule.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus noted that Amegadjie “won’t be available to practice pretty much all through offseason,” also noting the Bears “knew about this injury, this quad injury that he had at college.”
The hope is that the former Yale OL will be ready to participate when training camp hits later this summer. “We want to get that process in terms of the whole rehab and everything so he’s healthy for training camp. So that’s where he’s going to be,” the Bears coach added.
If the rookie OL’s injury keeps him out longer than expected, it may not be a bad idea for general manager Ryan Poles to look for an upgrade over Borom.
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