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Matt Eberflus says no offensive line changes coming for Chicago Bears. Here's why

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Published  September 18, 2024 2:25pm CDT
Bears
FOX 32 Chicago

Bears offense searches for answers after dismal showing in Houston

Barstool Eddie shares his thoughts on the Chicago Bears 13-19 loss to the Houston Texans and where Caleb Williams and the offense need to go from here.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Just three days after the Chicago Bears allowed 36 total pressures against the Houston Texans' defensive line, head coach Matt Eberflus said there would not be any changes to the offensive line.

"Right now, no," Eberflus said.

There's a reason for this.

The Bears were bad in their efforts to protect Caleb Williams on Sunday night. 

Houston generated five sacks and 12 pressures when Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans blitzed Williams. Nine Houston defenders finished with multiple pressures.

Houston finished the game with seven sacks, nine tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits. The Texans pressured Williams 36 total times on 37 passing plays.

Still, no change will be coming to the offensive line. That's because the Bears don't have the players to make those changes.

Interior offensive lineman Ryan Bates would be the choice to spell either Nate Davis or Coleman Shelton at right guard or center, should the Bears decide a swap should happen.

Bates is currently on injured reserve and will return in three weeks.

Eberflus said in training camp that lineman Matt Pryor could play all the positions outside of center. Still, inserting that kind of versatile lineman doesn't make much sense, especially with a player like Pryor who provides key depth the Bears' offensive line needs in case of injury.

Case in point: starting left guard Teven Jenkins missed practice Wednesday with a deep thigh bruise. Having him work at left guard just in case is important, instead of playing him at different positions and seeing if it works.

Kiran Amegadjie could be a player that could crack the lineup if the dismal play continues. However, he's more of a tackle than a guard and still needs time to get to playing speed after recovering from surgery last year that kept him out for most of training camp.

The Bears have confidence their group can improve. There's a chance to do that on Sunday against an Indianapolis Colts team that's struggled to stop the run and will be without starting defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.

The opportunity to get a good game under their belts is there. However, there's another side to that double-edged sword.

If the Bears struggle to protect Williams against a Colts' front that's missing key players and has struggled to start the season, the conversation will have to change.