The Chicago Bears may be more or less stuck with the offensive line group they have now, but the unit figures to be the primary focus of the front office for the upcoming season.
Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus ranked the Bears line as the 20th best in the NFL heading into Week 4, and that was before it surrendered another 3 sacks of rookie QB Caleb Williams to the Los Angeles Rams and lost Teven Jenkins mid-game to a bruised rib. Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported on Monday, September 30, that Jenkins is day-to-day with the injury.
The loss of Jenkins, easily the team’s best offensive lineman through four games, put the Bears in a place they didn’t want to be. Head coach Matt Eberflus likes offensive lineman Matt Pryor, which is why he benched former starting right guard Nate Davis and elevated Pryor to that position.
With Jenkins out, Pryor flipped to left side and Davis stepped back into the lineup on the right. However, Davis may not be long for Chicago. As such, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department suggested Monday that the team pursue nine-time All-Pro Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin next offseason.
“On a related note, Chicago’s interior offensive line issues aren’t going away anytime soon and could get worse in the offseason seeing as [Coleman] Shelton, Pryor and Teven Jenkins are impending free agents. Also, Davis could be a salary-cap casualty since cutting him would save the club $9.5 million,” B/R wrote. “Don’t be surprised if Ryan Poles goes after one of the best guards on the open market in Martin. The future Hall of Famer might not have a long tenure in the Windy City, but he could help protect Caleb Williams and fill one of the team’s biggest needs.”
Zack Martin Remains Among Elite NFL Offensive Guards
GettyDallas Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin.
Martin has been a part of some of the league’s best offensive lines over his 11-year career, all of which he has spent in Dallas. He hit the NFL and was immediately elite, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie in 2014.
The former first-round pick out of Notre Dame remains at the top of his position despite soon turning 34 years old. He finished the each of the last three campaigns with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors and has missed only 11 regular-season games over his entire professional tenure.
Martin wouldn’t come cheap. He is currently on a two-year deal worth nearly $37 million, which runs out of guaranteed money following this year. That said, the Bears project to have plenty of cap space and a massive need on the offensive line, which makes Martin a more than viable candidate for Chicago.
Bears May Bring Back Teven Jenkins, Likely to Move on From Nate Davis
GettyOffensive lineman Teven Jenkins of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears have yet to extend Jenkins, though letting him hit unrestricted free agency seems an unlikely move unless the team is overly concerned with the injury issues that have plagued the left guard.
A second-round draft pick of the previous regime, Jenkins missed five games last season and four the year before. He played in just six contests as a rookie, earning two starts, per Pro Football Reference.
Now injured again, Poles and company may have pause about paying Jenkins big. However, he has been an above-average guard since his sophomore NFL season and Chicago is so thin across the line it’s hard to fathom letting the best player on the unit walk or, at the very least, allowing offers from other suitors to drive his price up even higher than it’s already going to be.
Davis, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. The Bears inked him to a three-year deal worth $30 million ahead of last year. Injuries cost him five games last year, and he was well below-average when he was on the field.
Chicago’s coaching staff grew frustrated with Davis’ lack of practice time and work ethic during the offseason and preseason, which eventually resulted in his removal from the starting lineup in each of the past two games.
Davis has underperformed his contract, has been a poor performer since showing up in Chicago and is now on the outs with the coaching staff. As such, the Bears are almost certain to look for an upgrade at his spot next offseason, be that Martin or someone else.
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