Bears Would Have Options

The honesty guard Teven Jenkins showed was definitely appreciated.

Asked after last season ended if he paid attention to what the Bears did in trying to improve the roster during the offseason, he said, "I'd say a little bit because it does have to do with my job and it does affect my family a little bit. So of course I'm going to start paying attention a little bit."

Media members crowded around his locker seemed stunned—an honest answer about a touchy subject for many veterans.

"Sometimes, yeah, there's (standard) media answers sometimes, yeah," he said as everyone laughed. "But I feel to some extent some people do look at it."

The draft probably causes more angst for more veterans than free agency.

That's because If they're bringing in a free agent, the battle is already lost anyway. A player has specifically sought out and paid handsomely to take a position and not merely to come in and battle for it.

When a free agent is signed, the player who had been playing the position is often gone through cap cuts, trade or just waivers anyway.

During the draft, veterans are seeing the future and it means they might soon be the past. However, in most cases they'll at least have a chance to compete or prolong their job until the rookie is ready to take it. GMs don't usually give big jobs to untested rookies without a veteran backstop.

The Bears have a number of players with chances to be the big losers come draft day.

Here's who they are.

T Larry Borom

It seems Borom already has been slated for backup line duties because he has played every offensive line position except center. Still, he figures on paper to be the starting right tackle until they inevitably bring in someone at right tackle this draft.

Who knows? Third year can often be the telling season for a player and maybe Borom ascends to a point where a rookie can't get. His play hasn't been poor. It wasn't at a level they wanted last year at right tackle, though, and they put Riley Reiff into the lineup.

So if a starting right tackle isn't found in the draft, expect Borom will get competition like he had last year from Reiff. A veteran free agent acquired at a lower rate just before the season would be a backstop to whoever they have as the other tackle.

The good thing for Borom has been the fact he played so many positions. At the very least, he'd still have a job as a swing guard/tackle working on his rookie contract. It's just his opportunity to start that would be gone.

T Alex Leatherwood

Borom at least has played extensively at right tackle in this offense. He has that going for him.

Leatherwood is a first-round pick who already has been cut by the Raiders after only two years, didn't have a role all last year when the Bears needed some help, and now on draft day could be facing job competition from a first- or second-round rookie tackle. Good luck with that.

DE Trevis Gipson

He really didn't play poorly according to Pro Football Focus grades and ESPN's win-rate grades. At least he wasn't bad compared to others on the defensive line. But his job looks like the one most affected if they bring in an edge rusher in the draft.

It's not going to be Dominique Robinson, who was drafted by GM Ryan Poles and was a project as a former wide receiver—even if he didn't have a sack or quarterback hit after the season opener.

It's not going to be veterans Rasheem Green or DeMarcus Walker. Eventually it might affect Green because he signed only a one-year deal, but at the outset he'll at least get to prove himself as a player they've just added.

Gipson is the veteran they know the most about and more is expected from a defensive end than three sacks and four tackles for loss like he had last year. Robinson had worse production but gets more time to prove himself, as Gipson enters a contract year.

DT Justin Jones

He's in the final year of his contract and if they drafted Pitt's Calijah Kancey or Northwestern's Adetomiwa Adebawore, it's possible he'd rapidly lose a lot of his playing time at three technique.

It's not as likely for this to happen immediately with competition from a player taken in the late second or third rounds but could eventually happen. Jones was a player they thought had the qualities to be the three technique, but more than anything else he was a competent veteran lineman signed after the disastrous Larry Ogunleye failed physical, and he could fill that spot until their long-term answer arrived in the draft. The long-term answer could be arriving.

CB Kindle Vildor

While their deficiencies on the line would probably prevent a first-round cornerback selection, it's very possible they'll draft one in Rounds 2-4.

Vildor was a fifth-rounder and has improved marginally but still struggles. His career best passer rating against of 110.1 last year isn't going to cut it against competition from a quality rookie. Bears backup cornerbacks are all undrafted players, so any rookie draft pick will have an immediate edge and get put to the front of the line. Because they're all undrafted, it wouldn't even be out of the question for the Bears to draft two cornerbacks.

C Lucas Patrick

The center competition already had one loser before the draft or free agency, when 2020-22 starter Sam Mustipher didn't get tendered a restricted free agent offer. Next could be Patrick.

The Bears have been bringing in centers for top-30 visits and talked to some at the Senior Bowl and combine. They have options and have said they're planning to start Cody Whitehair at center. They also have last year's sixth-round pick Doug Kramer, who spent all last season on IR.

So if they're looking at centers in the draft even with all of those options available, you have to know they're dead set on upgrading.

But they signed Patrick last year and he spent most of the year on injured reserve without really getting a chance to show what he could do. When they had him in the lineup, it was at guard and he struggled. In Patrick's case, it wouldn't be shocking if the team decided not to even give him the chance to compete if they found someone on Days 1 or 2 in the draft. They would save $3.9 million in cap space whether cutting him happens before or after June 1, according to Overthecap.com.

C Cody Whitehair

They've made him a center again and if they draft someone early at the position, his days would seem to be numbered. Nothing says it has to be Patrick they don't want around, too. Whitehair has the fourth-highest cap figure and they'd realize a net savings of $5.7 million counting the dead cap space if he was cut after June 1. If they thought he wasn't going to handle the move back, then drafting a center could mean Whitehair's exit as well.

WR Darnell Mooney

No one would expect a receiver early in this draft, but if they stunned by taking one in their first three picks then the obvious player with the most to lose is Mooney. He's in a contract year, coming off ankle surgery and in all honesty he does not fit the receiver profile for coordinator Luke Getsy's offense. They like bigger receivers who are capable and willing blockers, besides being pass catchers. The thing about Mooney's blocking is even at less than 185 pounds he was pretty tenacious and graded high with PFF's ratings.

Regardless, a bigger, talented second-round receiver would be a direct threat to a contract extension for Mooney. They already have Velus Jones on the roster who could pose a similar threat, but he hasn't shown enough ability at this point.

WR Chase Claypool

Ditto.

Claypool is in the same boat as Mooney but does have an advantage as a bigger receiver. At 6-3, 238, he's bigger than almost all the league's receivers. But he's not slow. So he'll get the benefit of the doubt. He would be an obvious loser if they drafted a bigger receiver.

They've been looking at some, too, such as Ole' Miss' Jonathan Mingo and Virginia's Dontayvion Wicks.

QB Justin Fields

If they don't draft a right tackle to protect him, he might become the biggest loser in all of this.

Fields won't have sufficient time to prove himself as a passer to the extent Poles wants.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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