It's only Week 2 of the 2024 NFL Season and the Chicago Bears' offensive line is already in turmoil.
Last week was not a strong debut for the new-look Bears' offensive line, which was routinely blown up by the Tennessee Titans' interior defensive linemen. "New look" may be a bit of an overcharacterization, but that stresses the importance of improved play the Bears were hoping for given the additions of Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates this past offseason.
Shelton has been the starting center for the Bears, and it was a less-than-desirable debut for the former Los Angeles Rams lineman. Bates, meanwhile, has been dealing with a shoulder injury in recent weeks. Despite being able to play in the victory against the Titans last week, Bates has already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. In fact, on Saturday, the Bears announced that Bates has been placed on injured reserve.
With Bates set to miss the next four weeks, Nate Davis now faces even more pressure. Davis was replaced by Bates early in the Bears' first half of the season opener, and the more Matt Eberflus talks about the veteran, the more it seems that the team is just biding its time to replace him. If Davis fails to stabilize the right guard position over the next week, he may quickly be unseated for Bates.
Wide receiver Collin Johnson was the standout of the Bears' Hall of Fame game against the Texans during the preseason. Given the injuries to Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen, it seemed likely that the Bears were going to call upon Johnson and elevate him from the Practice Squad.
