Bears Move to Settle Uncertainty

It didn't take long for the Bears to decide they needed the veteran versatility provided by offensive lineman Michael Schofield.

After working him out on Sunday, they announced on Monday the signing of Schofield to a contract

The big issue now will be where he winds up starting, although it seems rather obvious he'll start out competing at right guard with Sam Mustipher.

The Bears were looking at only Mustipher at right guard, where he hasn't played before, or a rookie like Zachary Thomas or Ja'Tyre Carter, or they had the option of moving one of their tackle candidates to the position. The last option was moving Mustipher back to center, but they spent all offseason and have said since Day 1 after signing Lucas Patrick that the former Packers lineman was their starting center.

So the 6-foot-6, 301-pound former Chargers lineman from suburban Chicago would now appear to be their best option at right guard.

Why it took this long for them to decide is in question. They still had the same group they've had throughout offseason work and Schofield has always been available.

Schofield, who played for Sandburg High in Orland Park, Ill. and at Michigan, is 31 years old and has always been a starter except for the 2017 and 2020 seasons.

In all, Schofield has 81 starts. Only starting left guard Cody Whitehair has more on this Bears starting offensive line with 95. And Schofield adds Super Bowl-winning experience from his second year with Denver.

In 2020, he started only three games with Carolina and missed three weeks with COVID-19, but had no other injuries of substance reported.

Schofield had an overall Pro Football Focus blocking grade of 66.8 last year with the Los Angeles Chargers as a starter, including 75.2 as a pass blocker.

The only season he performed at what PFF considers a low level was that 2020 year with Carolina when he got on the field only 270 offensive snaps and allowed four sacks. They gave him a 50.3 grade.

Every other season except 2017 he has been graded in the 60s or 70s by PFF. And 2017 was the only other season when he wasn't a starter, as he played 15 games but started only five with the Chargers after being waived by Denver following the 2016 season.

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