Bear Digest

Assessing Bears Offensive Line Depth After Jordan McFadden's Return

The Bears brought back reserve guard Jordan McFadden on a one-year contract, and even after this signing and the addition of tackle Jedrick Wills, there are depth issues.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears guard Jordan McFadden works with the pads during minicamp last year.
Bears guard Jordan McFadden works with the pads during minicamp last year. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears continue to reinforce their depth by bringing back their own free agent with the signing of guard Jordan McFadden.

The team announced the signing Thursday. McFadden had been on the practice squad all season until being signed to the active roster Dec. 6. He played a key role in the divisional playoff loss last year against the Rams by stepping in at left guard when coach Ben Johnson decided to move Joe Thuney out to left tackle as a replacement for injured Ozzy Trapilo.

McFaddn hadn't been an unrestricted free agent, but he wasn't tendered as a restricted free agent and they signed him to a one-year contract. Although McFadden had a strong playoff effort, he suffered a bad ankle injury during the game. After the season GM Ryan Poles expressed surprise that McFadden hadn't been forced to leave the game due to the injury's severity.

A former Chargers player, McFadden was in for only two offensive plays last season until the playoff game. Then he had the second-highest Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade for Bears offensive linemen against the Rams, behind only Thuney.

McFadden has played only three regular-season offensive plays since his first season of 2023, when he made is only two starts and was in 12 games for the Chargers.

Obviously this is a depth move, and he joins Luke Newman, Kyle Hergel and Kiran Amegadjie as players who figure into the mix as backup interior offensive linemen. Amegadjie is a reserve tackle but was given some practice time work at guard. 

Line depth still unsettled

There are still problems with the depth on the offensive line, although it looks strong enough at guard. Because of Trapilo's knee surgery, left tackle will be unsettled until either Braxton Jones Jr., Theo Benedet, recent free agent acquisition Jedrick Wills or Amegadjie settles and is confirmed as the starter.

Probably the most troublesome situation is they have no backup center. Although McFadden and Hergel are interior offensive linemen, they haven't been centers.

Hergel joined the practice squad in early November. Newman was in only 23 offensive plays last year, all at guard, and had only some minor work at center in practices. He hasn't played there in games, and after him on the depth chart there is no one. Starting guard Jonah Jackson played some center in his past with the Rams and Lions but struggled.

So, it shouldn't have come as a surprise when the Tribune's Brad Biggs reported strong representation by the Bears at Kansas State's pro day, where center Sam Hecht is one of the top centers in this draft.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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