The 2025 Offensive Tackle Market & why it might suck for the Bears

[dreadpirateroberts]

To go into next season hoping that Kiran can compete for a STARTING spot would not be wise. Unless Jeff Stoutland is going to come here and coach him, that is a bold assumption that can easily blow up in your face. He should be competing to be a backup first

 

[bamainatlanta]

You only have to convince yourself of that.

Is Jordan Howard in the HoF yet?

 

[DanielCCSBears]

Is Jordan Howard in the HoF yet?

Is this the best you got?

 

[RiDLer80]

I'm not a fan of reaching for tackle just to have one--especially if they project better inside at guard.

 

[dabears70]

Dunno,

Legit see tackles go down all the time in games and team put in backups and they hold up fine for the most part.


More-so hurts because two OL who look solid(DJ Glaze, RT, and Domick Puni - RG) were taken only a few picks later.

And those tackles you see come in are late round picks in their rookie years and didn't have a training camp or preseason and playing a top 3 blitz heavy defense?

 

[dabears70]

Draft and 90%+ of Free Agency happens before training camp and preseason - Bears have to bring in someone that's capable of being OT3 (IE not a vet min journeyman or day 3 pick). Attention to detail.

Yeah they definitely need to get some good guys to compete for the backup spots but these guys are backups for a reason and almost every team will be wanting them to play for them so not an easy thing to do. Hopefully Poles pulls some damn rabbits out of his hat this offseason and hits big in the draft, free agency and trades. There's guys that come out of every single draft that get picked anywhere after the first 2 rounds that hit big in the NFL just like the Chiefs did with T.Smith who i think was a 5th or 6th round pick. I say it every year on here about how there's no exact science to drafting. You need some luck.

 

[dabears70]

NFL Mock Draft 2025: 3-round Chicago Bears projection to fix Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams has shown signs of stardom during his rookie campaign, but he's spent far too much time running for his life in 2024. If the Bears want him to st

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[msadows]

And those tackles you see come in are late round picks in their rookie years and didn't have a training camp or preseason and playing a top 3 blitz heavy defense?

I mean, DJ Glaze didnt give up a pressure to tj watt. Think it was the first time tj watt didnt have a pressure since 2018. So there is that. Taken 2 picks after kiran. He's not amazing either but been better than kiran.

I think poles just reached for a bust again, but its still a long time to know.

Kiran's just kinda a wasted pick at this point. You cant depend on him to be your swing tackle next year(That would be insane), so you essentially spent a high 3rd round pick on a guy who is going to be your 4th tackle in 2025.

 

[Runruffshod75]

I'm not a fan of reaching for tackle just to have one--especially if they project better inside at guard.

A legitimate OT will be available when the Bears pick. Every draft fans say this when it's time to fix the trenches.

Besides that I'm hoping the Bears can get as close to pick 5 or 6 as possible to trade back. There are a couple of QBs that are going go in the top 10, and if the Bears have a GM with even half of a clue how to leak to the media and publicly play the situation, then they could pull off a solid trade back and still maintain a fairly high pick.

I don't care what the board consensus is, what the media consensus is or what the YT consensus is, Aireontae Ersery is my guy. He is a headhunter and an OT

 

[Discus fish salesman]

A legitimate OT will be available when the Bears pick. Every draft fans say this when it's time to fix the trenches.

Besides that I'm hoping the Bears can get as close to pick 5 or 6 as possible to trade back. There are a couple of QBs that are going go in the top 10, and if the Bears have a GM with even half of a clue how to leak to the media and publicly play the situation, then they could pull off a solid trade back and still maintain a fairly high pick.

I don't care what the board consensus is, what the media consensus is or what the YT consensus is, Aireontae Ersery is my guy. He is a headhunter and an OT

Bears almost certainly aren't getting higher than 7 and are most likely just getting to 8 if they lose out.

I think me and you have already discussed, I don't see anyone trading up with them. Qbs that are going in round 1 (ward and sanders) will be gone by 5. Maybe someone would trade up for hunter or McMillan but they are probably both gone before the Bears too. I'm sure a ton of teams in this draft would like to trade down, I just don't see it as being very likely. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[monkforasia]

If we had the chance, I would trade down. Then pick Oline with our 1st pick, trade up to get another Oline, then take another Oline with the Panthers pick.

 

[baselman1974]

Draft route trade down and get Josh Simmons. He is only true LT. Don’t trade down if Carter or Graham is there. Then draft Ersery.

FA route Ronnie Stanley is ideal. Maybe Kiran can learn from a true pro LT. Ravens are in cap hell paying Jackson, the DT, Roquan, and Henry. They don’t have much money to maneuver. Bears better be ready for $25+ million. They have to overpay.

 

[monkforasia]

Draft route trade down and get Josh Simmons. He is only true LT. Don’t trade down if Carter or Graham is there. Then draft Ersery.

FA route Ronnie Stanley is ideal. Maybe Kiran can learn from a true pro LT. Ravens are in cap hell paying Jackson, the DT, Roquan, and Henry. They don’t have much money to maneuver. Bears better be ready for $25+ million. They have to overpay.

I was going to trade down. Take Ersery. Trade up and take Jonah. Then take the other 2nd and take Josh Simmons. Mix and match and see what you have. The issue this year is that there is no good center. Man i wish we traded up and took linderbaum in 2022.

 

[baselman1974]

I was going to trade down. Take Ersery. Trade up and take Jonah. Then take the other 2nd and take Josh Simmons. Mix and match and see what you have. The issue this year is that there is no good center. Man i wish we traded up and took linderbaum in 2022.

Barton would’ve been good too last year in trade down.

 

[EDPeezy]

Some QB who isn’t Sanders or Ward will shoot up boards during the pre draft process. It happens every year. The question is will they be there when the Bears are picking and will somebody be willing to move up to take him?

 

[Runruffshod75]

The passrushers look really nice. If the value at OT isn't there and the Bears are able to snag Abdul Carter you won't hear any blowback or gripes out of me.

I believe that Abdul Carter is going to be the dominant DE that many thought Dallas Turner was going to be right out of the gate

 

[Runruffshod75]

I was going to trade down. Take Ersery. Trade up and take Jonah. Then take the other 2nd and take Josh Simmons. Mix and match and see what you have. The issue this year is that there is no good center. Man i wish we traded up and took linderbaum in 2022.

I don't really want them to trade up anywhere. This draft is loaded with Defensive line, Half Back and Safety talent.

I really don't think the Bears will need to trade up to get value after round 1.

Besides the obvious needs at OT/G/CENTER the Bears have definitely got to get Williams a true dual threat HB with speed and pop like Kaleb Johnson or Omarion Hampton. Either one would be perfect. The Bears do need one and chances are they're not going to get a true dual threat bell cow HB after early round 3.

They need a CENTER and I really like Bryce Foster. They need another FLEX TE and a burner SLOT WR. I don't think I want to see whoever makes these picks bother to trade up

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

I’m not sure I’d have Ronnie Stanley as a FA target. He’ll be 31 and hasn’t played a full season due to injury, although this might be the year he finally does. He also has committed more penalties and given up more pressures than Braxton this year. I’m not sure I’d be wanting to pay him $25+ million.

If you want to go the FA route for LT, then I’d rather focus on Alaric Jackson instead. He’ll be 27 and has statistically had a better season than both Jones and Stanley.

 

[monkforasia]

I don't really want them to trade up anywhere. This draft is loaded with Defensive line, Half Back and Safety talent.

I really don't think the Bears will need to trade up to get value after round 1.

Besides the obvious needs at OT/G/CENTER the Bears have definitely got to get Williams a true dual threat HB with speed and pop like Kaleb Johnson or Omarion Hampton. Either one would be perfect. The Bears do need one and chances are they're not going to get a true dual threat bell cow HB after early round 3.

They need a CENTER and I really like Bryce Foster. They need another FLEX TE and a burner SLOT WR. I don't think I want to see whoever makes these picks bother to trade up

I'm trading down, not up. Abdul is going to go before the Bears pick. The only other defensive player I would be interested in is Graham, but its also dependent on what defensive scheme their next coach wants. I'm not going to spend another high round pick on a rb, when we have swift already with Roschon Johnson. I was pounding the table for saquon, but we are where we are.

 

[UChiLAbear]

Good teams don’t let their premier OL hit free agency, so first and foremost—adjust expectations.

Ronnie Stanley won’t hit FA. Neither will Trey Smith. Anybody who thinks they will when KC and Baltimore have roughly 20 mil and just under in cap space, before cap is adjusted and cuts/restructures are made is an idiot, and I have a bridge to sell them.

The best way is to draft your guy. The bears should keep this simple: make sure he likes playing football, don’t hold meaningless ‘negatives’ in high esteem when evaluating a guy: so athletic ability or ‘he doesn’t finish run blocks violently enough’ when the guys halfback ran for a 20 yard TD on the lane the OL paved.

The big one for me is always arm length. If you think a guy can’t play OT and should be a guard because his arms aren’t 34 inches, you’re an idiot, and a perfect mark when it comes to rooting for this franchise, who have “prototypical” arm length guys and neither are very good.

The game has changed. All pro LTs have 32/33 inch arms now. Hall of fame caliber LTs inducted this past January have 33 inch arms. The inch/inch and a half difference does not matter. But it won’t shock me to see the bears still living in the era of black/white TV and stay true to something that won’t win anytime soon, unless you have a Time Machine.

Anchor, bend, technique, footwork. Start there. You might just find a good OT when you chase traits that matter.

Good post..BUT......you mean radio broadcasts only, NOT black & white TV.....lol....