Protecting Caleb Williams has become the biggest concern for the Chicago Bears over the past few weeks. It was never good, but now injuries are eating away at what little stability they had. Left tackle Braxton Jones already missed last week with a concussion. He still hasn’t returned to practice. That left rookie Kiran Amegadjie to start last week against Minnesota, and it was a predictable disaster. There is no way it can worse, right? Per usual, the answer was of course it can.
The latest injury report revealed that left guard Teven Jenkins didn’t practice on Wednesday with a calf injury. Calf problems don’t usually dissipate quickly, meaning his status for the game against Detroit is now very much in doubt. If Jones also remains sidelined, the means the Bears would be without the entire left side of their offensive line. That is before you mention Ryan Bates, their primary backup guard, is also still out with a concussion.
Yes, it is acknowledged he can use all the experience possible to continue developing. However, what use is development if he’s constantly running for his life? He’s already been sacked 58 times this season, which is the most of any quarterback in franchise history. The Chicago Bears don’t gain anything by trotting him out there on Sunday. They’re eliminated from the playoffs. Everybody knows this coaching staff is getting fired. Just put in Tyson Bagent and give the kid a chance to rest and heal up. That isn’t likely to happen, which means interim coach Thomas Brown better get creative with his plans if both Jones and Jenkins are out. It could mean a run-heavy game plan with (hopefully) lots of help for Amegadjie or Larry Borom.
