The Chicago Bears offensive line is not in the best of condition right now. As things stand, the entire right side is out of action. Kyle Long ended up on Injured Reserve with a hip ailment. Now his longtime running mate Bobby Massie went down for the next few weeks with a high ankle sprain. Suddenly the offense is forced to lean on a lot of inexperience on that side. Rashaad Coward is a backup who only just started playing guard this year. Cornelius Lucas has been a reserve most of his career as well.
With the team sitting at 5-6 and clinging to the slimmest of playoff hopes, the depth situation has gotten dangerous for this team. So it would be a wise decision if they were to add some veteran help. Lucky for them, a recent roster move may throw them a lifeline. The New England Patriots decided to release offensive tackle Jared Veldheer as Isaiah Wynn returned from IR. An interesting move but not entirely surprising.
Veldheer had chosen to retire during the summer due to health issues but according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, he's looking to make a return to action. Now a free agent, he's allowed to sign wherever he wishes. The Bears obviously need help. Veldheer has started 113 games, so experience won't be a problem.
Chicago Bears could only benefit from Veldheer's presence
Veldheer has had a good deal of success in his career. While never a star, he had a hand in some highly-productive offenses. This included the #1 overall Arizona Cardinals unit back in 2015. So he understands what he takes to execute at a high level. Something the Bears front can certainly use. Nobody should think he'd fix all their problems, but his versatility and toughness would only help their cause. It's not like he'd make things worse. It will be interesting to see if the Bears make a move following their game against the Lions on Thanksgiving.
