Control Bears: Don’t Draft a Tackle…

You Don’t Have to Draft a Tackle

The Chicago Bears are widely expected to draft an offensive tackle in the first round of the NFL draft in late April. The Bears desperately need a right tackle. Opposing defenses saked Justin Fields way too often last year. They can draft a brilliant left tackle and then move Braxton Jones to right tackle and give him a chip from Tonyan or Kmet and protect him. That will fix the offensive line and solidify the offense, meaning a great chance for a wonderful season for Justin Fields.

They shouldn’t do that.

It would be brilliant, but they shouldn’t do that.

They should consider every position of need and select the best available player from any of those positions. If there is a defensive end available who is a better selection than the offensive tackles then they should pick that defensive end. If there is a ten-sack-a-year guy available then Ryan Poles should select him immediately and pray for a Cody Mauch type in the second or third round. That would be best.

Drafting for need gets you pretty good players.

Drafting the best player at any position of need — at just about any position — that’s how to make a wonderful team. That’s how to make the best Chicago Bears team possible.

Let’s evaluate last season.

The Bears had about twenty sacks last year and allowed about fifty-five. They can’t win very many games unless they flip that. To flip that they have to — that’s right — take the best available player every round. They should take d-line or o-line or corner or running back or wide receiver — whatever works.

Why did the Bears lose fourteen games? They beat the Patriots, the Texans, and the 49er’s. They lost to everyone else, every other time that they played them. They had a horrendous defense. They need to address and improve said defense and said offense. If they sack the opponent fifty-five times and allow twenty sacks — if they flip-flop those two simple numbers — then they win fourteen games and lose three games. That’s my simple prediction. It won’t happen, though.

What has Ryan Poles done?
He has addressed the lines by taking the right players at the right price instead of reaching for a right tackle or a defensive tackle that is the right position and considered the right player. Those players are overcosted and not great. He signed a right guard who is supposed to be a great player because that player was available for the right price and was qualified and good. Nate Davis is that player. That upgrades one position on the offensive line. Cody Whitehair can go to center, Teven Jenkins can go to left guard, and the interior line is kind of okay with Lucas Patrick as the swing for when people get injured. This is football — people will get injured. Braxton Jones is okay at left tackle. He needs time and coaching to get better. He needed to get stronger. Let’s see in August if he got stronger. That leaves one tackle position and possibly center to upgrade. They should be upgraded by taking the best player available in the draft. Sam Mustipher was center most of the year last year and gave his absolute best but wasn’t good enough. I feel sympathy for him and thank him for everything he did for the Chicago Bears — he gave great effort and ignored all the bad talk about him. Same for Larry Borom, Alex Leatherwood, Michael Schofield, and Riley Reiff — they also played their best and struggled. They gave it their all. I’m sorry to say that they gave it their all but their all wasn’t good enough. We need to move to new starters and don’t need them anymore — except maybe for depth.

What do we think about those players? They didn’t play well enough. They worked like crazy to make it onto a professional football team and then played pretty well but not well enough to protect Justin Fields. Are they gone? Yes. Why? Because Justin Fields needs protection. He needs people to protect him from getting sacked a whole lot more than he has had in the previous few years.

They are either gone or backups. Larry Borom didn’t do it. He didn’t solidify the line. He didn’t do his job properly. I am sad to say that he shouldn’t start anymore.

What should the Bears do to fix this?
That’s right.

Draft the best available player on Thursday night.

Thanks, and take care, friends.