USA Today Sports revealed its winners and losers from the first week of the preseason, and Bears quarterback Justin Fields was among the losers from the week — but it wasn’t his performance that landed him there.
Fields was under pressure during last Saturday’s preseason opener against the Chiefs, and he was sacked twice. While rookie Braxton Jones held his own against All-Pro Frank Clark, veteran Michael Schofield may have opened the door at right guard with a rough outing.
While it’s fair to argue Fields could’ve gotten rid of the ball quicker on a couple of occasions, there are still concerns about this offensive line that have NFL analysts and fans concerned about Fields in 2022.
The Chicago Bears’ offensive support for their starting quarterback looks about as shoddy as the grass at Soldier Field on Saturday. Fields took two sacks and was under constant duress against the Kansas City Chiefs, though he did manage to uncork an impressive 26-yard connection with Darnell Mooney. But the bottom line is clear: This offensive line ranks as one of the NFL’s worst, and Fields can’t expect much assistance from any of his supporting cast in 2022.
At this point, it appears that there are four positions locked in on the offensive line — left tackle (Jones), left guard (Cody Whitehair), center (Lucas Patrick) and right tackle (Riley Reiff).
Things could get interesting at right guard, where you figure Schofield still has the upper hand at this point. But the Bears are trying out Teven Jenkins at right guard with the reserves, and that could be his way to crack the starting lineup.
