Bears sixth-round pick Luke Newman details how his versatility during rookie minicamp can make him a highly valuable player up-front in Chicago

The Chicago Bears offensive line learned the hard way that high-level depth is a necessity, not a luxury in this league.

Soon after head coach Ben Johnson was hired, he stressed the importance of having a strong offensive line, beyond the top five starters. He wanted upwards of 10 dependable players at the position to turn to during the season.

Which is why the Bears made sizable moves in free agency and the draft to add five new offensive linemen to the mix. One of the more underrated additions was sixth-round draft pick Luke Newman.

While he won't land a starting job in 2025, Newman will still play an important role on the offensive line as a highly versatile depth piece. During his career at Michigan State and even before at Holy Cross, Newman had experience starting at left guard and left tackle. At the Shrine Bowl, the Bears were impressed with how Newman looked lining up at center as well.

In Newman, the Bears saw a player who could develop at multiple positions and be a key player on the roster for when injuries eventually present themselves. This past weekend at rookie minicamp, Newman discussed his versatility and what position the team currently had him starting out at.

"Since I got here, majority of the focus has been at left guard. But, obviously that versatility was a huge reason why I was drafted," Newman explained. "I look forward to working the other spots, right guard and center as well. I think the interior three will kind of be my main focus going forward... We'll just work the others as the summer and spring go along."