(670 The Score) In preparing to travel north to Minneapolis for their meeting with the rival Vikings on Monday, the Bears had to make a sudden change to their starting offense.
Bears starting left tackle Braxton Jones self-reported symptoms of a concussion to the team’s medical staff and entered the NFL’s protocol. The team released the news about Jones’ status Sunday afternoon. With that, rookie offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie was put in a difficult position.
A third-round pick of the Bears in April, Amegadjie was tasked with making his first NFL start in a raucous environment at U.S. Bank Stadium – and doing so without the benefit of first-team reps in practice. Those had gone to Jones, who wasn't restricted at all during practice last week.
A day after Amegadjie struggled in the Bears' 30-12 loss to the Vikings, interim head coach Thomas Brown on Tuesday indicated the decision to start Amegadjie was made in collaboration with general manager Ryan Poles. Brown also acknowledged the challenging position the team put Amegadjie in.
“Obviously, moving forward, if a guy has more opportunities to practice and have reps with that, I feel really good about his growth and development,” Brown said. “But also it’s a tough environment for anyone to make his first start on the road in a loud environment versus a defense that rushes the passer pretty good.
“I have full faith and belief in his abilities as a person. He continued to battle throughout the entire night. Just got to find ways to get some better answers at times. We got to help him out better from a pass protection standpoint. But to me, it’s about being consistent with the message, continue to find ways with him. He’ll be fine.”
Amegadjie’s struggles began on the Bears’ second offensive drive, as he was beaten off the edge by Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who strip-sacked quarterback Caleb Williams to force a fumble on the play. Amegadjie was penalized four times in the game – twice for holding, once for a false start and once as an illegal man downfield.
Amegadjie has played in six games this season, primarily as a reserve. He opened the regular season on injured reserve while recovering from a quad injury.
When Amegadjie was selected by the Bears back in April, Poles indicated he would need time to develop in the NFL. The plan was set back as he was sidelined with the injury.
In late August, Poles expressed his confidence that the Bears' offensive line depth would be a strength of the team. Amegadjie became the 12th offensive lineman to start for the Bears in 2024.
“Potentially, probably not year one,” Poles said when asked if Amegadjie would contribute as a rookie. “(But) I don’t want to put a ceiling on Kiran either. I think we’ll open that up and kind of see how it goes.”
It’s unclear if Jones will be healthy enough to return this season. Veteran reserve offensive lineman Larry Borom is an option to step back in for the Bears at left tackle.
Losers of eight straight games, the Bears (4-10) will host the Lions (12-2) on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.