Bear Necessities: Cody Whitehair, Teven Jenkins not expected to play vs. Bills
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The Bears offensive line has struggled in pass protection all season, and with injuries to starting left guard Cody Whitehair and right guard Teven Jenkins, things aren’t likely to get better.
Jenkins suffered a neck injury in Sunday’s game, where he was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off the field. While Jenkins returned to Halas Hall on Tuesday, he didn’t practice Wednesday. Whitehair, who suffered a knee injury against the Eagles, hasn’t practiced all week.
According to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, the team isn’t expecting Whitehair and Jenkins to play Saturday against the Bills. That would leave the Bears with their eighth different starting offensive line combination this season.
The Bears aren’t expecting Cody Whitehair or Teven Jenkins to play Sunday. Which will leave them to try an eighth starting OL combination for this season.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 22, 2022
Michael Schofield has been the primary backup at guard this season, where he’s filled in both for Whitehair and Jenkins at some point. Schofield is the likely option at left guard. So who gets the starting nod at right guard?
Alex Leatherwood, who’s split time at right tackle with Riley Reiff, has played right guard, so he’s an option. Especially with Larry Borom trending toward a return, where he could rotate with Reiff.
Another option is rookie Ja’Tyre Carter, who hasn’t seen any action this season. The Bears could choose to give him an opportunity — or, at the very least, rotate him with Leatherwood at right guard.
Still, it’s not encouraging news for quarterback Justin Fields, who was sacked six times last week and has been under duress all season as one of the most-pressured QBs in the league.
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