With the NFL offseason officially in the rearview mirror and each team pushing to field as healthy a roster as possible, it got me thinking about which players the Chicago Bears could least afford to lose. Especially after news came out this week about WR1 Rome Odunze and RB1 D’Andre Swift leaving practice early. Thankfully, those were nothing major, but the question remains:
If Rome goes down, we still have Darth Burden, Loveland and Jahdae Walker to throw to.
If Swift goes down, I’d be a bit more concerned, but only because our depth behind Kyle Monangai would be on deck. Mongai himself would be more than capable.
If Montez Sweat goes down, our pass rush would hurt. But our defense is already going to struggle, so that is not too much of a difference in my eyes.
But if Joe Thuney goes down, especially with our LT spot still in flux and especially with a new center in town, I think our offense is hindered more than any other player missing time not named Caleb Williams.
The inaugural Protector of the Year earned the third best pass blocking grade through PFF among ALL offensive lineman and was the highest rated mark for all guards. He helped mitigate the shortcomings with the revolving door next to him and helped Drew Dalman reach his first ever Pro Bowl in his first ever season in Chicago. Not only that, but he slid out to Left Tackle for the playoffs and held his own against a daunting Rams pass rush.
Joe Thuney is the man and rightfully earned his flowers with the leagues first ever award strictly for offensive linemen. And he would be my choice.
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