What will Chicago Bears offensive line look like this week against Raiders?

LAKE FOREST – The NFL is a constant battle to stay healthy, especially in the trenches, where big men collide on every play. For the Bears, the original starting five offensive linemen have still not played a single game together.

The Bears went into the season expecting to have Braxton Jones at left tackle, Teven Jenkins at left guard, Cody Whitehair at center, Nate Davis at right guard and Darnell Wright at right tackle. That lineup hasn’t played together since training camp in August.

There hasn’t been a massive wave of injuries on the offensive line, but there has always been at least one starter sidelined through the first six weeks of the season.

Last week against Minnesota, the Bears essentially benched Whitehair in favor of Lucas Patrick at center. Patrick started the first five games of the season at center, with Whitehair playing guard when Jenkins was out with a calf injury. It appears that moving Whitehair back to center, where he began his career, might be an experiment that has run its course, although the Bears haven’t said that.

This week, Davis will not play due to an ankle injury. The easy solution is to move Whitehair to guard in place of Davis and start Patrick at center. The question then becomes which sides do Whitehair and Jenkins play? Whitehair played primarily left guard over the previous two seasons. Jenkins was the right guard last year, but switched to left guard this season. It could make sense to move Jenkins back to the right side. That would put both players in spots where they played extensively last season.

The Bears, of course, do not want to tip their hand to the Raiders. They have said nothing about the possible offensive line combinations.

“In terms of the O-line depth, we’ve had a lot of different combinations this week and we’ll see where that goes,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “Again, I’m not going to talk about who’s playing what – left guard, right guard, center, all those things – for obvious reasons. We’ll solidify that as we go.”

Additionally, the right tackle Wright is dealing with a shoulder injury this week. He enters the game listed as questionable to play, although Eberflus said he feels Wright is trending in the right direction.

If Wright doesn’t play, though, the Bears will have to find another tackle. Backup tackle Larry Borom is already filling in for Jones, who is currently on injured reserve with a neck injury. Aviante Collins is the only other tackle on the active roster. The 30-year-old has started only one game in his NFL career.

Jenkins and backup guard Ja’Tyre Carter could also be options at right tackle. Eberflus has mentioned previously that Carter is an option at tackle. Jenkins began his career as a tackle, but hasn’t played the spot since training camp 2022. The Bears also seem likely to pull up a tackle from the practice squad if Wright is sidelined. That could be Nigeria native Roy Mbaeteka.

If Wright plays, however, things will be much less dire at the tackle spots and the line should be reasonably able to function with Borom, Whitehair, Patrick, Jenkins and Wright in the lineup.

The Bears can’t seem to catch a break along the line. When one player comes back healthy, another player seems to go down. Offensive line coach Chris Morgan has to be shaking his head. Morgan coached the 2016 Atlanta Falcons offensive line, which might have been the best in football that year. All five starters started all 16 games and three playoff games en route to a Super Bowl appearance. Morgan knows what it can look like when the line is healthy.

Any times guys can play together, any time guys can bank reps together, communication will be better. It’s just, it is what it is. They’ll be better.”

—  Chris Morgan, Bears offensive line coach

“Any times guys can play together, any time guys can bank reps together, communication will be better,” Morgan said. “It’s just, it is what it is. They’ll be better.”

Morgan has to be wondering if the Bears starting five will ever get that chance.