Just when it seemed the Chicago Bears had things settled along the offensive line, there’s been some more shake-up following the return of Lucas Patrick to practice.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said Patrick, who’s recovering from a broken right thumb, can play both center and guard.
Unfortunately, that leaves Teven Jenkins, the presumptive starter at right guard, the odd man out.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Patrick was taking reps at right guard during Wednesday’s limited individual drills with Jenkins behind him. It certainly seems like the Bears are keen on Patrick starting in some kind of capacity on Sunday.
If that’s the case, Chicago’s offensive line will look like this: Braxton Jones (LT), Cody Whitehair (LG), Sam Mustipher (C), Lucas Patrick (RG), Larry Borom (RT).
Lucas Patrick is not on the injury report, meaning there's no designation for his thumb. From what I saw during limited individuals drills in practice, Patrick was taking reps at guard (Teven Jenkins in line right behind him). We'll see if that's where he sticks.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 7, 2022
While Jenkins appears to be once again be getting bounced, this time for Patrick, it shouldn’t have long-term implications. Once Patrick is able to snap the ball, he’ll kick back to center and Jenkins will assume the right guard role.
But nothing is guaranteed yet. Eberflus will likely field questions about Patrick’s placement on the offensive line during Friday’s press conference. But we likely won’t know the answer until Sunday.
