Chicago Bears: Who Stays And Who Goes? Offensive Linemen

We continue our series looking at which Chicago Bears players on the 2022 roster return. Next up, we look at several offensive linemen.

We continue our look at which players Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles brings back.

Poles has a lot of decisions to make in one of the most impactful offseasons in franchise history. Before he makes those decisions, however, he needs to decide which of the players who were on the 2022 roster return.

In our previous entries, we looked at running back David Montgomery and linebacker Nicholas Morrow. Today, we look at some offensive linemen.

We decided to look at the offensive linemen as a group. There are so many of them and the position is sure to experience a big overhaul. That has been a unit that has struggled for quite some time now. However, the unit did do a good job at opening holes for the running game in 2022.

In order for quarterback Justin Fields to have any success as a thrower he needs to stay upright. That didn’t happen in 2022 as the Bears gave up 58 sacks. Things need to change if the offense is to improve and for the rebuild to succeed.

Let’s take a look at some of these linemen and see who stays and who goes.

Michael Schofield

Poles signed Micheal Schofield right before the start of training camp. The thought was that he’d step in at right guard and be a bridge for the eventual starter.

Things didn’t exactly work out. Schofield missed the first five games of the season and Week 18 due to injury. When he was on the field, however, he struggled. There were too many occasions in which he got badly beaten and Fields suffered as a result.

At this point in his career, he won’t contribute much to the offense. Don’t expect him to return.

Dakota Dozier

Despite having to see all the injuries to the offensive line, the best thing that could have happened was Dakota Dozier spending the entire season on injured reserve.

Signing Dozier to being with was a head-scratcher. He played every snap in the 2020 season for the Minnesota Vikings but was so bad that the only action he saw for the Vikings in 2021 was on special teams. He went from 1,084 snaps to just 25. When he played in 2020 he gave up 6 sacks and 46 pressures. Additionally, he committed 9 penalties that were accepted.

It will be a short Dozier era in Chicago Bears history.

Sam Mustipher

Poor Sam Mustipher. He became the face of the offensive line’s woes. The fans were brutal to him. Every single time he made a mistake there were thousands of fans jumping all over him.

To be fair, Mustipher was bad. Teams rushed up the middle and not only got to Fields but also stuffed it up against the run. Yes, the Chicago Bears led the league in rushing. However, not a lot of those runs came up the middle.

Mustipher was not supposed to be the starting center in 2022. The Bears wanted to see him at the guard position. He had a chance to win the right guard job but the best-case scenario was for him to be a backup guard/center.

Sadly, he never got the chance to show much at guard. Lucas Patrick, who was supposed to start at center, suffered a broken thumb on his snapping hand on the second day of training camp.

Patrick came back in time to play in Week 1 but not at center. His thumb wasn’t strong enough to snap. He finally started at center in Week 7 but suffered a toe injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season. That meant the team was stuck with Mustipher at center.

Patrick should be healthy enough to finally take over at center in 2023. What happens to Mustipher then? Well, he is a restricted free agent. That means the Bears could offer him a one-year tender. He could sign an offer sheet with another team but the Bears have the opportunity to match it. If they don’t then the Bears get compensation.

The Bears could also not tender him and he becomes an unrestricted free agent. At any rate, he could re-sign with the Bears at a team-friendly deal and end up being a good backup.

Riley Reiff

Riley Reiff was a real disappointment in 2022. When Poles signed him and Schofield right before the start of training camp many people thought that would really settle the offensive line.

Reiff has had a pretty good 11-year career playing both tackles. Having an experienced veteran on the field was a big thing for the unit.

As with so many other plans for the 2022 Chicago Bears, things did not work out. While he played in 16 games, he failed to make an impact on the field. He was never able to overtake Braxton Jones at left tackle.

Reiff also played at right tackle but he wasn’t able to impress enough to stay there. Furthermore, due to injuries he even got a shot at the guard spots but wasn’t impressive there either.

It seems that Reiff is at the end of the line, at least in Chicago. At his age, he doesn’t fit with the Bears. Because of the rebuild, the team needs younger players, either draft picks or young veterans.