Alex Bars' Versatility to the Rescue

In his two-plus seasons with the Bears, Alex Bars had played left guard, right guard, right tackle and center.

That was, until Friday. He lined up as the left tackle with the first team for a major portion of practice. 

The Bears have a list of injured tackles so long they're pulling in players from other positions for help and Bars was the next logical choice.

"We have the mindset that no matter what happens we're still going to attack every day as a group together," Bars said. "Obviously, we're dropping guys but it's kind of 'whatever' mentality. Next play. You got to keep going. We're the offensive line."

Or, at least they were. Now they're an injury list.

Bears Missing Practice

• T Teven Jenkins (back)*

• T Germain Ifedi (hip-flexor)*

• T Elijah Wilkinson (Reserve/COVID-19)

• T Larry Borom (concussion)

• T Lachavious "Pig" Simmons (possible concussion)

• G James Daniels (quad)*

• S Tashaun Gipson (quad)*

• S Eddie Jackson (hamstring)*

• CB Desmond Trufant (groin)*

• ILB Josh Woods (quad)

• ILB Joel Iyiegbuniwe (hamstring)

• ILB Christian Jones (Reserve/COVID-19)

• LS Patrick Scales (Reserve/COVID-19)

• NT Eddie Goldman (Reserve/COVID-19)

• WR Damiere Byrd (heel)

Bars played there Friday and guard Arlington Hambright then moved from right tackle to play left tackle late in practice while Bars moved back to right tackle.

They were at those spots because one day after rookie fifth-round pick Larry Borom opened some eyes for two practices as an emergency left tackle, he was sidelined with a concusssion.

Then Lachavious "Pig" Simmons, who had been at right tackle, walked off the field Friday and the team later reported he was being evaluated for a concussion.

Starting left tackle Teven Jenkins hasn't practiced at all due to back injury and there's no end in sight to his issue. Backup left tackle Elijah Wilkinson remains sidelined on the reserve COVID-19 list. Starting right tackle Germain Ifedi is still out with a hip-flexor and hasn't practiced in camp.

The concussions and COVID list are situations with definite endings in most cases. The soft tissue injuries and those like Jenkins' back injury seem real issues.

Tackle hasn't been their only injury situation. They're also without starting left cornerback Desmond Trufant now because of a groin injury. Last year it was hamstring injuries that derailed Trufant in Detroit.

"I think for us, every year you always are a little bit concerned with the soft-tissue injuries every year," coach Matt Nagy said. "And some years you're more fortunate than others. And this is just kind of a part of where we're at.

"We are one week into camp right now. There's a lot of time left. And I know it feels like there's not, but there is. So we've got to be able to adapt to that and then just make sure, too, like with whatever injuries we're getting or that we have, we don't want to sleep on that, too. We want to make sure we're aware of that and if it's like we want to make sure that whatever we're doing throughout the day—nutrition, weight training, reps in practice—that that's monitored and that we're doing the right stuff with that."

A player like Bars can help anyone get through an injury epidemic because of his versatility. He is usually a guard but has some experience from his Notre Dame days at right tackle and has played all the positions except left tackle for the Bears. And now he's doing that.

"It's good to be able to play multiple positions," Bars said. "Obviously it helps your value at this level. As far as for the Bears goes, I'm happy I can be that guy to fill in for different spots and play and shift and move."

Bars' appearance at left tackle was a rarity. 

"At Notre Dame, I started at right tackle, moved around—left guard, right guard, played a little center in the spring game," he said. "So from college on, that versatility has been part of my play. When I transferred to this level, it was good."

The difference left side to right side is more than it appears.

"For me it’s more technical," Bars said. "Different aiming points. You’re switching sides so everything’s flip-flopped. I'm good on assignments. I just have to focus on the details and the targets of my technique."

 Hambright was a seventh-round draft pick last year and Jenkins' former teammate at Oklahoma State. He was viewed more as a guard than a tackle but played some tackle in college and at this point they're trying everyone short of team equipment manager Tony Medlin at tackle.

Borom's concussion was unfortunate because he had actually shown some ability to play left tackle.

Somehow the Bears must sort through this situation

"He has a nice demeanor about him," Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo said. "It seems like nothing is too big for him. Calm. We all make mistakes, but it doesn’t really bother him.

"I knew he was athletic and big and really more athletic than you saw on tape because on tape he played 360 pounds and he’s 332 pounds now. He’s got really good feet for a 332-pound man.”

Perhaps Borom will get another shot when he's over the concussion.

"The beautiful thing about that is, and this is a credit to Ryan and his guys is, you know, we had second- and third-round grades on Larry Borom," Nagy said. "We didn't have fifth-round grades on him. We got him in the fifth, so that's how we feel about him and he gets an opportunity.

"He went out there and took advantage of it—for one day. Can you be consistent with that and that's going to be how we evaluate it."

First, he needs to heal like a lot of other Bears tackles.