Bears center Lucas Patrick broke his thumb on the second day of training camp, a source said, but the initial prognosis is that he will be back in time for the season opener. The team still has more than six weeks before it faces the 49ers.
In the meantime, there could be plenty of shuffling. When Patrick exited practice Thursday, the Bears replaced him with sixth-round pick Doug Kramer, giving them two rookies on the offensive line with Braxton Jones at left tackle.
Patrick, who turns 29 on Saturday, was one of the Bears’ more significant free agent signings as general manager Ryan Poles looked to overhaul the offensive line. He viewed Patrick as essential to steering the group’s mentality.
“The things he was screaming on the phone after we got a deal done showed what he’s all about,” Poles said in March. “He embodies that. He’s a prick, and he knows it, and that’s how he survives, and that’s what we need up front. Other people either have got to go with it or you just don’t fit in. That’s going to improve the rest of the group and we’re going to keep adding guys like that.”
Patrick played 73 games for the Packers in his first five seasons and hasn’t missed one since 2019. He signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Bears.
