Morning Bears Bits: Right Tackle Competition Is Officially On
By Adam Hoge-
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (CBS) -- When Marc Trestman said Friday in Charlotte that J'Marcus Webb was "in a competition", it wasn't all that surprising based on his play.
The question was, who is he in a competition with?
We got our answer Sunday afternoon when fifth-round draft pick Jordan Mills lined up at right tackle with the first-team offense and Eben Britton took the reps with the second-team.
But what was even more interesting was that Webb didn't take any reps Sunday on the right side.
Don't take that as a sign that Webb's days as a right tackle are over though. Should he suddenly improve over the next three weeks, he may very well end up as the Bears' starting right tackle Week 1 against the Bengals.
But the Bears have also seen enough tape -- both during this preseason and over his 44 career starts -- to know that they have to look at other options. Thus, Mills and Britton are going to get their chance this week to show what they can do on the right side.
Webb was on the left side Sunday because he would still make a very good swing tackle on any team. Even though he has struggled this preseason, NFL teams don't just put capable offensive linemen on the waiver wire and Webb still can be a serviceable backup.
And at least this week, that's what Webb is. A backup. Whether or not he stays a backup will depend both on his play the rest of training camp, as well as the play of Mills and Britton. Mills will get a big opportunity this week to work with the first team and show what he can do against the Chargers' No. 1s Thursday night. But asking the 163rd overall pick to start as a rookie in Week 1 is a lot and the Bears may end up going with Britton.
Britton saw time at left tackle against the Panthers, but struggled as well. He probably fits better as a right tackle, which is where he played for the Jaguars when they used him on the outside.
Links
After one preseason game, Adam Hoge grades individual performances.
Monday's Schedule
The second to last practice in Bourbonnais starts at 9 a.m.
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
