Second-Year Tackle Borom Steps Up For Rebuilding Chicago Bears

The Bears head to Green Bay in full rebuilding mode but a rain-drenched upset of the 49ers has fans thinking they can compete against the Packers at Lambeau Field. They will be trying to do this with second-year quarterback Justin Fields and the most inexpensive offense in the NFL, which emphasizes the importance of second-year tackle Larry Borom.

Ryan Pace did few favors for Ryan Poles, his successor as the Bears’ general manager. But selecting the massive (6-5, 333-pound) Borom with the 152nd overall pick in the 2021 draft is looking like a nice step in creating a quality offensive line with staying power.

Borom was the key to the line doing enough in the extremely sloppy field conditions to give Fields the chance to deliver a 19-10 victory over San Francisco. He neutralized two-time Pro Bowler Nick Bosa, allowing only one pressure and no sacks while playing all 58 offensive snaps.

Pro Football Focus graded him 10th best among tackles in Week One, with only the Chargers’ Rashawn Slater, the Texans’ Laremy Tunsil, the Giants’ Andrew Thomas and the Browns’ James Hudson beating Borom’s marks in both pass blocking (72.4) and run blocking (74.3).

That’s a huge performance from the fifth-round pick from Missouri. It suggests he has improved significantly from 2021, when he earned a roster spot in the pre-season and then ranked 65th among 83 tackles playing the minimum snaps.

The offensive line as a whole played well against the 49ers. Teven Jenkins, a second-round pick in the ’21 draft, played especially well while moving to the guard spot opposite Cody Whitehair. He shared time with free agent addition Lucas Patrick, compiling a 77.9 grade from PFFPFF
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Jenkins’ grade ranked ninth among all the guards, including those who did not play enough to qualify. Patrick was also solid, with a grade of 65.9, 28th best among all guards.

Center Sam Mustipher, rookie left tackle Braxton Jones and Whitehair joined Borom in playing all 58 snaps. Mustipher received a solid grade (60.1), standing out with his work in pass protection more than run blocking. Jones, a fifth-round pick from Southern Utah, earned a grade of 58.4.

Whitehair, in the third year of a five-year contract that carries a cap hit of $12 million this season, was the lowest graded lineman, with a 57.6 mark that reflected poor work pass blocking.

The Bears’ offensive line represents total spending of $24 million, which ranks 26th in the NFL. Veteran tackle Riley Reiff, signed to a one-year, $3-million contract after being released by Cincinnati, was limited to four special-teams snaps against the 49ers due to a shoulder injury.

Reiff is expected to be worked into the mix in Green Bay but it should be clear that Borom and Jones represent the future of the unit assigned to protect Fields.