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July 27, 2022
BY RYAN TAYLOR
League sources believe the Bears made a smart move by acquiring offensive tackle Riley Reiff earlier this week. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, one personnel director believes the Bears struck gold with Reiff.
“They need a guy like
Reiff,” one personnel director said via text message to Biggs. “He’s a hard a-s
and will be good in the locker room.”
The source also mentioned several teams were interested in Reiff,
yet the Bears were able to snag him.
Head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles believe in
bringing in competition to work against the other guys on the roster. No one
can blame them.
The offensive line before Reiff and Michael Schofield joined the
team this week was a disaster. Larry Borom seems to be a ready fit as a
starting tackle. Yet, Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones and Sam Mustipher are all
major question marks.
Now, with Schofield and Reiff in the mix, the two are expected to
start on the line along with Lucas Patrick, Cody Whitehair and Borom. That's a
good enough offensive line that can help Justin Fields develop his game as the
rebuild continues.
The
Bears will still have work to do come next March. Schofield and Reiff are each
on one-year deals and both are on the wrong side of 30 years old. That being
said, their deals are low-value, with Schofield competing with a base salary of
$1.2 million and Reiff with $3 million (despite having the potential to make up
to $12.5 million).
In the mean time, the two bonafide veterans will be able to teach the younger offensive linemen while they wait their turn. Poles and the front office selected four offensive linemen in the 2022 NFL draft.
