Odd assessment turns up guard as possible unaddressed Bears worry

Sometimes NFL analysts can't find the forest for the trees.

After drafts, the analysts love picking through draft classes to try and find uncovered holes in the roster. One such analysis from Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano refused the easy layup for something that doesn't even exist.

The duo cited the lack of a guard as the biggest Bears remaining roster hole.

Guard is hardly an issue with the Bears. It definitely was last year when they had to jettison Nate Davis.

"They're really banking on Jonah Jackson having a bounce-back season after spending most of 2024 on the Los Angeles Rams' bench. But they at least added insurance to the tackle spots, selecting Ozzy Trapilo and Luke Newman," the SI duo wrote about the Bears.

The Rams tried making Jackson play center after coming back from an offseason injury, then he suffered a broken scapula. That's what led to all of his time on the bench and Rams coach Sean McVay said as much at season's end.

Besides that, Newman is a guard and started there 12 games for Michigan State last year, performing well enough to earn Big Ten honors and then get drafted after he was a tackle three years at Holy Cross. He fit the new position better, with arms too short for tackle.

"There are definitely things you can do at left guard," Newman said after being drafted. "Whether it be with your hands or a blocking assignment, your aiming points. Week by week, we were getting small stuff here and there corrected. Eventually got to the point where I felt very comfortable playing that spot.

"Also having done, some reps of center and right guard in practice as well, it really helped me to be a very versatile player and got me ready for the Shrine Bowl. At the next level, I'd love to be playing left guard just as much as I would love to play, right guard or center. Just bottom line wherever I'm best suited, wherever the team needs me to be.”

They saw him playing center at the Shrine Bowl and his versatility struck them most.

"We are really excited about developing him," GM Ryan Poles said. "Really, the All-Star (Game) circuit is where he popped up. He showed some versatility because, primarily, his position was guard at Michigan State, and at Holy Cross, he played left tackle. Then, he showcased that he can play the center position, as well, which is very valuable for us. We're excited about Luke."

The running back spot sits out like a neon sign as the biggest Bears roster gap, and it would be easy to point at edge rusher or even safety as potential issues before worrying about guard.

Ignoring running back until Round 7 created such a need for the Bears at the position that some on social media are even clamoring for over-30 types like Jamaal Williams, a former Lions running back under Ben Johnson who averaged 3.4 and 2.9 yards a carry his last two years with Dennis Allen's Saints. He averagd only 1.4 yards after contact or less in three of his last four seasons.

At least there is some logic here with the past tie to Johnson's Lions but the past is the past once a back hits that 30 wall.

Regardless of running back, the Bears already had backup guard taken care of even without Newman. They have Ryan Bates and also last year's find from the practice squad, Bill Murray. In some of Murray's brief action, he was phenomenal as a blocker who switched from defense in college, but he quickly suffered a torn pectoral muscle and went out for the year against Washington in the Hail Mary game.

They also had trained Kiran Amegadjie in some of his limited practice time as a potential emergency guard, as well as backup center Doug Kramer. They might as well use Kramer as a backup guard because they never let the poor guy be a center.

There are numerous players who can handle backup guard on the roster and not enough quality or experience at running back. It's easily their big roster hole.

And if they're serious about addressing the backfield issue with someone besides seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai and 2024 UDFA Ian Wheeler as he comes off a torn ACL, then getting anyone who isn't 30 years old and two years removed from his only good NFL season would be a good addition.