Chicago Bears: Predicting the 2017 53-man roster before training camp
Offensive Line
Starters: Charles Leno, Kyle Long, Cody Whitehair, Josh Sitton and Bobby Massie
Backups: Tom Compton, Eric Kush and Jordan Morgan
Barring injuries, the Chicago Bears starting offensive line is pretty much set. Their interior trio of Kyle Long, Cody Whitehair and Josh Sitton is arguably the best in the NFL. The Bears’ interior offensive line is not only the strength of the offense but perhaps the entire team. The only question here is whether Long and Sitton swap spots, with rumors of Long moving to left guard surfacing earlier this offseason.
As great as the Bears are on the interior, their offensive tackle situation is pretty ugly. Charles Leno is all but guaranteed to be their starting left tackle this season and Bobby Massie will likely be back at right tackle. I could envision a scenario where Tom Compton takes over for Massie at right tackle, but I do not consider it likely.
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The play of Leno and Massie will play a major role in the Bears ability to score points in 2017. Massie is a decent run blocker, but an absolute turnstile in pass protection. Leno has shown some nice pass protection ability, but his run blocking skills are lacking. Keeping Glennon upright and opening up holes for Howard are both obviously important for the Chicago Bears in 2017. They are set on the interior, so if there is an issue here, it will be at tackle.
Compton was signed as a free agent this offseason and will be a decent swing tackle for the Bears. Compton is a big and physical run blocker, but similar to Massie, struggles in pass protection.
The Bears have three interesting interior offensive linemen who deserve backup consideration. However, with such a loaded starting three, how many do they really need on the roster?
The Bears drafted Jordan Morgan in the fifth-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. While he is far from a lock, I imagine that the rookie will make the roster out of training camp. Morgan obviously does not have any NFL experience, but he is a nice backup with some upside.
That leaves Hroniss Grasu versus Eric Kush for the backup center role. Kush played well at guard for the Bears last season and provides security behind Whitehair at center. They signed him to a two-year free agent contract this offseason, so he is likely the favorite over Grasu.
There is still a lot to like about Grasu, but his inability to play anything other than center hurts him. I imagine that the Chicago Bears would like to get Grasu on the practice squad, but that seems unlikely. Perhaps they can find someone to trade a late-round pick for him? Regardless, Grasu seems like a longshot to make this roster.