There’s been a lot of movement along the Bears’ offensive line this offseason and into the preseason. And it sounds like Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom figure into the starting plans for Chicago.
Jenkins recently made the transition from tackle to guard, which is his best route to a starting job. Head coach Matt Eberflus praised Jenkins’ performance in last Thursday’s preseason game, which was his first game at right guard.
“He did a good job in the game; he played a solid game,” Eberflus said. “You think about that for a second, coming in there for a couple of days and then starting in there and playing. We were impressed. He did a nice job. Now he’s got to continue to grow at the position. Like everybody else on the team, he’s got a lot to work on. But he had a good first outing in there.”
Things have been a little easier on Borom, who maintained a starting role throughout the spring and most of the summer. But he found himself demoted to the second-team right tackle behind Riley Reiff. But with Reiff not playing in the preseason and Borom impressing, it sounds like Borom has the upper hand when it comes to the right tackle job.
“He’s been consistent. He’s been relatively consistent and he’s doing a good job in there,” Eberflus said. “Right now, he’s in that position as a starter, and then he’s got competition behind him, and we’ll see what happens. We’ll see if he can sustain that execution all the way through.”
Eberflus wouldn’t say whether Jenkins or Borom are locks at their respective positions. But it certainly sounds like they’re in a prime position to land those starting jobs.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen,” Eberflus said. “Like we said, we’re changing combinations, adjusting combinations. As you have seen over the course of training camp, a lot of things have changed. There’s a lot of adjustment going on. So, it’s about guys that can sustain the performance, that can sustain execution, and then take that to the first week. So, we’ll let that play out and see where it is.”
At this point, it feels like those jobs on the right side are Jenkins and Borom’s to lose.
