The Chicago Bears may have addressed their starting interior offensive line spots in free agency, but it certainly appears as if they aren’t done. Head coach Ben Johnson indicated that good depth is vital to team success during a season. That is why the Bears seem to be operating as if they will add at least one more piece to the group in the upcoming draft. Two recent updates on their list of draft meetings made that clear.
It started with Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network revealing that the team will host Georgia guard Dylan Fairchild for a top-30 visit. His colleague Justin Melo quickly followed that up with the information that Chicago had met with Texas center Jake Majors. What immediately jumps out with those two is they are really good athletes for offensive linemen, and both seem to have the same positive traits. They’re smart, tough, and at their best in pass protection. It is clearer than ever that head coach Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar have changed the scouting approach for the team.
The Chicago Bears are finally operating intelligently.
Over the past several years, the team seemed to prioritize strong run blockers when drafting offensive linemen. Marc Colombo, Chris Williams, Gabe Carimi, Cody Whitehair, James Daniels, and Teven Jenkins. It became clear in many of those cases that they weren’t up to the task of protecting a quarterback on 30-40 dropbacks each week. In recent times, smart teams have determined that drafting polished pass protectors works better because it’s easier to teach solid run-blocking techniques than the other way around. That appears to be the Chicago Bears’ new approach under Johnson. He wants pass protectors who are smart and athletic first. Fairchild and Majors both qualify, as does another of their recent visits, LSU tackle Will Campbell.