After two relatively forgetful seasons as a member of the Chicago Bears' offensive line, the franchise parted ways with veteran offensive guard Lukas Patrick at the close of the 2023 season.
Now, after an unsuccessful stint with the New Orleans Saints, Patrick finds himself on the Cincinnati Bengals' roster and will have his hands full this weekend after being named the team's starter at right guard.
With a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on the horizon, Patrick will have to do his best to keep All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett away from Joe Burrow, a task many are skeptical he's capable of fulfilling.
Ex-Bears OG Lukas Patrick in for Rude Awakening Against Myles Garrett
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stated on Wednesday that Patrick is getting the nod as the team's starting right guard in Week 1. However, being named part of Joe Burrow's main protecting five has seemingly struck a chord with the team's fan base.
In two years as a member of the Bears, the undrafted lineman out of Duke University made 20 starts in 23 appearances. However, even after being part of the top offensive line unit during his final season in Chicago for 15 of the 17 games he played in, Ryan Poles and the front office had no qualms with letting the veteran walk as a free agent.
When you take into consideration that roughly 2/3 of the penalties Patrick has been called for over his eight-year career have come in the last two seasons, there isn't much reason to believe that he will be capable of holding his own at 32 years old against a pass rusher as fierce as Garrett.
The biggest storyline out of Chicago regarding the offensive line is that second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo is being brought along slowly behind Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright. It seems safe to say that no one in the Windy City is jealous of the offensive line situation in Cincinnati.
Fortunately for Bears fans, this is an issue for the Bengals and their supporters to be concerned with.