Chicago Bears: 5 players who need a big showing vs. Bills

Chicago Bears who need to step up vs. Bills: OT Elijah Wilkinson

Lastly, the Bears have to get a strong showing from offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson. As of right now, the team has taken a big hit up front with rookie second-round pick Teven Jenkins undergoing successful back surgery. Jenkins will now be out the majority (if not all) of the season, although there’s hope he could come back at some point.

In signing veteran Jason Peters, the Bears gave both Wilkinson and Germain Ifedi some competition at tackle. Ifedi has had injury woes of his own, though, and it’s been Wilkinson who has gotten a lot of run with the ones.

The veteran tackle will be counted on heavily on Saturday and will probably get a lot of snaps once more. Ifedi is still on the PUP list and probably won’t play. That means Wilkinson will likely get the start at right tackle and a real chance to prove he can handle it.

With the way the Bears ended last season, specifically running the ball so well, they were counting on an improvement from their line in 2021. Thus far, it hasn’t looked too promising. .But, if Peters is healthy and wins the left tackle job, then Wilkinson could either be a fill-in starter on the right side or at the very least, a highly-capable backup to Ifedi.

Chicago has to have someone on the line step up, and ideally it will be Wilkinson. Hopefully, he provides some strong film and gives the Bears hope that they do indeed have some depth there.