Despite allowing seven sacks and 36 pressures to the Texans on Sunday night, the Bears aren’t making any changes to their starting offensive line.
As if they really had a choice.
When the team put guard/center Ryan Bates on injured reserve with a shoulder injury Saturday, they cut their number of reliable backups in half. Besides Matt Pryor, who played left guard for Teven Jenkins in practice Wednesday because the latter suffered a deep thigh bruise Sunday, the Bears’ backups have barely more game experience than the hot-dog vendor.
Entering this season, center Doug Kramer, guard Bill Murray and tackle Kiran Amegadjie had combined to play one NFL game in their careers. Amegadjie, the Bears’ third-round pick, was activated off the non-football injury list exactly a month ago Wednesday after recovering from the quadriceps surgery he had in college.
No one is coming to save the Bears’ offensive line, whose job it is to protect the franchise’s most significant investment, Caleb Williams.
“We’re looking for continuity and consistency and communication and getting better,” coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday. “That’s what we’re focused on. It’s fundamentals and basics. It’s important that we get that down as a group. So we’re going back to that. That’s what wins football games.”
A lack of it loses them. In Houston, no Bears O-lineman was immune.
Guard Nate Davis had two false-start penalties and allowed four pressures and a sack, according to Pro Football Focus. Left tackle Braxton Jones had an illegal-formation penalty and allowed three pressures. Jenkins gave up three pressures and a sack, and center Coleman Shelton gave up two pressures.
The worst performance came from the Bears’ lineman with the most pedigree. Darnell Wright, the No. 10 overall pick last season, gave up two sacks and five pressures and had a false-start penalty.
“It’s all rooted in fundamentals, right?” Eberflus said. “[Wright] has got the talent; he’s got the drive and determination. . . . When you have a game that you’re not proud of, you come back and have a good game. That’s how you respond.”
General manager Ryan Poles said during training camp that the Bears had the deepest offensive line of his tenure. It doesn’t feel that way anymore. No less an expert than Bill Belichick questioned the way the Bears’ roster was built, saying Monday on ESPN that they put money and draft picks into wide receiver when “they’ve had problems on their offensive line, and it doesn’t look like that’s gotten much better.”
The Bears are second in the NFL in receiver spending, paying $38.1 million at the position this year. They used the No. 9 overall pick on Rome Odunze, who led all college receivers in yards last year.
By contrast, the Bears are spending $27.3 million on offensive linemen, the ninth-lowest amount in the NFL. Belichick pointed to the Lions, who used the No. 16 pick on left tackle Taylor Decker in 2016, the No. 20 pick on center Frank Ragnow in 2018 and the No. 7 pick on right tackle Penei Sewell in 2021. The Lions have extended each player’s contract and rank 10th in offensive-line spending this season.
Pryor has 24 starts in 77 career games, but Eberflus said the Bears feel good about Jenkins’ injury calming down in time for the game against the Colts on Sunday.
“It’s a power thing,” Eberflus said. “And then him feeling comfortable and the trainers feeling comfortable for him to come back in.”
If Jenkins does, the Bears will have the same starting line they did against the Texans.
“We want to get back out there and have a good game,” Jones said.
This week has been about identifying what the line can improve, Davis said.
There’s plenty.
“Just understand it and also understand it’s a long season,” Davis said. “We can fix those things and keep moving.”