Show of Unity from Bears O-Line

The Bears offensive line is entirely intact at OTAs and doing everything together in an attempt to build a cohesive unit.

Matt Nagy painted a picture of offensive line unity.

Not much else can be proven by offensive linemen at non-contact practices, other than where they line up and knowing what's expected in terms of blocking assignments. 

The togetherness Nagy sees from the line is in direct contrast to the Bears defense. 

While defensive starters are mostly not present at OTAs, the offensive line is intact, accounted for and melding from starters to backups under line coach Juan Castillo and assistant Donovan Raiola. 

"What Juan is doing right now is making sure that all of these guys understand we're doing it for one cause–to be the best O-line, not the best O-lineman, the best group together as one," Nagy said.

To illustrate, Nagy reflected back on a few days earlier.

"I'm in my office, and I'm looking out before practice, before the walk-through, and I look out on the practice field, and as guys are walking across from one field to the next, about a half mile away, I see about 16 linemen standing outside my window and they're not moving," Nagy said "And I'm like, 'What are you guys doing?' And they're not moving. They're not going anywhere. 

"And all of the sudden I see a guy trickle out from the door to come with them and walk over to the walk-through."

All the linemen had waited for the last guy before moving elsewhere together.

"You've got 17, 18 O-linemen that are all doing this as one," Nagy said. "They're not leaving their guy behind, and they all go over and do everything together. When they're in the weight room, lifting together, when they're walking over to practice, when it's post-practice. 

"I've never seen that, ever."

As the line learns together at OTAs, they're doing it with both rookie tackles lining up on the second team for now, and the first team has Elijah Wilkinson at left tackle and Germain Ifedi at right tackle. Sam Mustipher has been at center, Cody Whitehair at left guard and James Daniels right tackle.

It's possible another lineman could be added. Free agent tackle Morgan Moses visited the Bears on Wednesday and they now have $8.9 million available under the salary cap according to Spotrac.com. 

Only the deals for quarterback Justin Fields and second-round tackle Teven Jenkins eat into their total available to spend because the five picks they signed on Wednesday from rounds 5-7 don't make enough to break into the top 51 cap hits.

Eventually Jenkins figures to be the left tackle. Wilkinson was acquired as a swing tackle, but played right guard in Denver in 2018 and right tackle in 2019 and 2020. He isn't a left tackle by trade. Neither is Moses, for that matter. His first pro start was in 2014 at left tackle, but he started every game the next six seasons at right tackle.

Jenkins competes for now while learning, and the same is true for fifth-round tackle Larry Borom.

"Having that competition is just going to help make us better," Nagy said. "And when you bring a guy in like Elijah Wilkerson and obviously bringing back (Germain) Ifedi and you have the rookies we brought in, and you have Alex Bars, I mean the list goes on and on."

Bars is capable of playing up and down the line but in OTAs lines up at right guard behind James Daniels.

"What Juan is doing right now is making sure that all of these guys understand we're doing it for one cause–to be the best O-line, not the best O-lineman, the best group together as one," Nagy said.

Jenkins will likely impress more once the pads are on.  

"It’s going to take a little bit of time and what's hard with O-linemen is we have no pads right now," Nagy said. "There are so many rules that we can't do this and we can't do that.  

"So, once we get into training camp it's going to be the true test to see really where they’re at. But they've been doing great, the young guys, Teven and Larry."

Both young tackles are receiving mentoring from Ifedi and other more experienced linemen. They're being brought into the fold.

"We’re a close-knit group; we really care for each other," Ifedi said. "We do everything together. We try to be one heartbeat. We don’t try to be individuals."

This much has been obvious in workouts, or even when they're moving around the grounds at Halas Hall.

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