CHICAGO (670 The Score) – When Bears coach Matt Nagy was a young assistant in Philadelphia, he often heard a line from then-Eagles assistant David Culley.
"'Matt, it will all play itself out -- it's real simple,'" Nagy recalled from Culley, who's now the Texans' head coach.
Nagy has that moniker in mind these days as the Bears deal with uncertainty on their offensive line just a week into training camp. Rookie Teven Jenkins, a second-round pick penciled in to start at left tackle, hasn't practiced due to a back issue. Veteran right tackle Germain Ifedi suffered a hip flexor injury during conditioning tests last week. Then Tuesday morning, veteran tackle Elijah Wilkinson wasn't present at Soldier Field for the team's practice that lasted just shy of three hours.
That has left the Bears to build and tweak an offense in training camp – creating plans for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton with hopes to also better establish a running game – without their top three tackles. Larry Borom, a rookie selected in the fifth round this past spring, has suddenly been thrust in at left tackle.
"I like his footwork," Nagy said of Borom. "I think he's really light-footed for being such a big man. I don't know if he can play left tackle. That's why we're trying to put him there, to see. It's not easy when you go from the right side to the left side, but I think now is the time to see really what he can do. It would be pretty cool to see that you find out, you draft a guy in the fifth round and then you end up having a guy that can do some big things for us. So we're going to test him out."
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Jenkins has been present during the Bears' drills in training camp but not in uniform. Nagy declined to put a timeline on his recovery, though he indicated it could be a matter of weeks rather than days. It's not clear when Ifedi could return. The team hasn't issued an update on Wilkinson's absence.
Beyond Borom, the Bears' depth at tackle includes second-year players Lachavious Simmons, Arlington Hambright and Badara Traore.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace and his scouting brass could search for veteran reinforcement if they believe the voids at tackle could linger deep into August. Veteran tackles Rick Wagner, Demar Dotson and Marshall Newhouse are among the free-agent options whom the Bears could consider.
All Nagy and the Bears can do right now is let it all play out.
"I just know the guys we have on this team right now," Nagy said. "They're the guys I believe in."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
