Guard Options Limited for Bears

Guard Dakota Dozier went on IR after a minicamp injury and now the Bears could need to look at possible free agent options or a trade.

USA Today

The Bears have yet to confirm or deny guard Dakota Dozier tore an ACL but he did suffer a left knee injury and they have taken action indicating a possible season-ending situation.

Dozier was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and they signed defensive back Jayson Stanley to his roster spot.

Dozier was carted off the field during minicamp when he had trouble getting up following a play in 11 on 11. The former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman had split time in the offseason with Sam Mustipher at right guard with starters and appeared headed for a training camp battle for the starting spot at the very least.

Now the Bears will have to decide whether Mustipher can convert center, either rookie Ja'Tyre Carter or Zachary Thomas are ready to step up and compete with Mustipher or a tackle could convert to guard, such as Teven Jenkins. During OTAs and minicamp, Jenkins had been relegated to playing with backups while the coaches monitored the progress of left tackle rookie Braxton Jones and put left tackle Larry Borom at starting right tackle.

Another option with the current roster would be moving free agent center acquisition Lucas Patrick to right guard and playing Mustipher at center. Patrick has played guard in the NFL. Mustipher has not.

There are other possibilities from off the roster. The free agent pool is limited at the moment but the Bears could wait until after cuts and bring in a veteran, or they could trade for one as well.

Stanley is a 6-foot-2, 207-pound cornerback from Georgia who originally had signed in December of 2019 as an undrafted free agent with Jacksonville and the following season was cut. He signed with Seattle, was cut and wound up on the Seahawks practice squad.

Stanley appeared in eight NFL games, all with the Seahawks in 2020, and got on the field for only seven defensive snaps. He was involved in 129 special teams plays after being brought onto the 53-man roster in November.

Last season he wasn't with a team but had signed on with the Green Bay practice squad for the final two weeks of the season.

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