LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- When the Bears' offense bottomed out last season, the problems started up front.
The Bears' offensive line was decimated by injuries and inconsistent play, with the group down to just one original starter at one point in November. Coach Matt Nagy and his staff struggled to find the five-man combination that could bring stability on the line.
"We went through musical chairs for a little while there at the offensive line, and it was hard," Nagy said.
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Now more than two weeks into training camp, the Bears are once again dealing with offensive line concerns. One month out from the regular-season opener, the Bears have just two healthy starters on the offensive line -- left guard Cody Whitehair and center Sam Mustipher.
Rookie Teven Jenkins, the projected starter at left tackle, has been held out of every training camp practice with a lingering back issue. Starting right guard James Daniels has missed the last week with a quad injury, and starting right tackle Germain Ifedi has been on the physically-unable-to-perform list with a hip flexor injury. Then came another injury Thursday, when Alex Bars, Daniels' replacement at right guard, limped off the field. The team didn't immediately update his status.
So begins another game of musical chairs for the Bears, with veteran lineman Elijah Wilkinson -- who primarily has played right tackle in his four-year NFL career -- assuming the left tackle role while Jenkins is out. Second-year linemen Arlington Hambright (right guard) and Lachavious Simmons (right tackle), a pair of seventh-round picks in 2020, have filled in on the right side.
At the least, Nagy and the Bears are optimistic that Daniels and Ifedi will be returning soon, but there remains more uncertainty with Jenkins. He participated in the team's offseason program, but that didn't include any full-contract work. Nagy told the Mully & Haugh Show on Wednesday morning the Bears were aware of Jenkins' back issues at Oklahoma State, which likely contributed to him falling into the second round of the NFL Draft.
The Bears released veteran tackle Charles Leno just days after the draft, clearing room for Jenkins to start at left tackle. Leno made 93 consecutive starts for the Bears, protecting their quarterbacks' blindside. Now, the team is focused on Jenkins' availability more than his ability.
"He was already ready to play," Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo said of Jenkins last week. "So I don’t think that I’m not sure how much time he’s missed, but I don’t think that hurts him because we were already in a good place before this happened."
Rookie Larry Borom is expected to compete with Wilkinson at left tackle once he's cleared from the concussion protocol. A fifth-round pick of the Bears, Borom had one practice at left tackle under his belt before suffering the concussion.
With just a month left until the regular-season opener, any rookie would be challenged to fill a starting role with few practice reps. Any veteran signed off the street would be playing catch-up too. So the Bears are likely left with what options they currently have, whomever that may be.
Nagy is trying to stay optimistic, hoping the Bears won't be held back by a decimated offensive line once again.
"Is it a focus for us to know that we’ve got to be better there and just keep trying to find that starter at left tackle? Yeah," Nagy said. "But at the same time, when Ifedi’s back out there and James Daniels is back out there and Cody’s out there and Sam Mustipher’s out there and we get that tackle fixed, that’s my calm."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.