Chicago Bears Zeroing In On Much-Needed Right Guard Solution
The Chicago Bears have questions on the offensive line. Nowhere is that more evident than right guard. Letting James Daniels walk in free agency was an understandable decision. He’d underachieved last season and was going to be too expensive. GM Ryan Poles was reportedly not a fan anyway. So the new regime would have to find alternatives. The off-season came and went, and things didn’t go too well. Their best options included signing veteran Dakota Dozier and drafting several Day 3 options like Zachary Thomas and Ja’Tyre Carter.
Then Dozier tore his ACL. Suddenly it looked like Sam Mustipher, a career center, was the emerging favorite for that right guard spot. Not a great development for Justin Fields. Mercifully, it appears the Bears might finally be waking up to the danger. Field Yates of ESPN reported that the team was working out veteran Michael Schofield. He is an Illinois native (born in Orland Park) and brings 86 games of starting experience to the table. Everything the Bears need.
The Bears worked out veteran OL Michael Schofield. He spent last season with the Chargers and has 86 career games of experience.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 24, 2022
Went down the Chargers rabbit hole last night trying to study some of their run concepts, but it became a Michael Schofield iii rabbit hole. Like this counter action run where RG Schofield gets hand leverage and RT Tevi creates the movement. pic.twitter.com/jCdUOkaFcQ
— Cover 1 (@Cover1) June 24, 2019
#RunBehindRashawn is alive and well.
– Slater and Matt Feiler wash down Cameron Heyward.
– Slater picks up Devin Bush.
– Jared Cook seals Joe Schobert.
– Michael Schofield pulls and eliminates Derrek Tuszka.
– Jalen Guyton executes the crack block on Tre Norwood. pic.twitter.com/cCBO7Hzbam— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) November 22, 2021
Schofield isn’t great, but he is good enough for the Chicago Bears.
It is surprising the 31-year-old lasted this long on the open market. He was steady at right guard for the Los Angeles Chargers last season, allowing 24 pressures and two sacks in 602 total snaps. He helped the Denver Broncos win the Super Bowl in 2015 and protected the likes of Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and Justin Herbert. So he understands the responsibility of safeguarding a franchise quarterback. As a short-term solution, the Bears aren’t likely to find anything better before the regular season begins.
Schofield has good athleticism and demonstrated an ability to pull and make blocks on the move. That is a vital requirement for Luke Getsy’s wide-zone offense. It is likely assistant GM Ian Cunningham played a role in this workout. The veteran spent some time with the Baltimore Ravens last year before re-signing with the Chargers. Cunningham has deep connections in Baltimore. The Chicago Bears should have had good data on him before making the phone call. If things go as expected, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him sign a one-year contract within the next few days.
An interior trio of Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, and Schofield should give Fields stability from the pocket. Then it becomes a matter of figuring out the tackle situation between Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom, and Braxton Jones.