Thumbs up or thumbs down on Chicago Bears offseason experiments

Darnell Wright to left tackle

The idea was floated of moving Wright from right to left tackle, turning him to Darnell left rather than Darnell right so to speak.

The surgery Braxton Jones is healing from was the idea behind this, but the Bears put Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie at left tackle to battle and left it at that.

"Darnell, we feel pretty comfortable keeping him at the right side right now," Johnson said. "So the left side–until we get Braxton back in the mix, it's going to be a little bit of musical chairs.”

Bottom Line: They may have played musical chairs but Wright never played the game. He stayed right where he belonged. Changing a player who graded out seventh out of 140 NFL tackles as a run blocker and only 35th as a pass blocker never made sense when the key position for run blocking on the line is right tackle and the key position for pass blocking is the left side.

It would have been a case of weakening themselves at another position voluntarily when they could have at least maintained a real position of strength with Wright at right tackle.

When Jones returns at camp it becomes a moot point and everyone got some experience. However, there is the issue of who has the upper hand at left tackle now should Jones need more time in camp to rehab? They did truly alternate Amegadjie and Trapilo.

So in the last week of OTAs the veterans weren't required to come and only a few were there. Wright wasn't.

So who got to play left tackle then?

Trapilo lined up there and Amegadjie at right tackle. It might say something about who ranks higher in pecking order now at left tackle. Then again, they only let media in one day of rookie OTA week and they could have been alternating every other day.

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Kyler Gordon at safety

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen had everyone thinking Gordon was going to get a good look at safety after signing his contract extension.

"Some of the things that I see him do and the way that he fits in the run game tells me that he could be a fit with safety also," Allen said. "We've had guys that have had the flexibility to play a lot of different positions. I think that's important in today's football where you're not just locked into one thing, being able to be multiple and do a lot of different things."

Bottom Line: It never came off because of Gordon's soft tissue injury in OTAs. It's just as well.

The Bears struggled at the crucial slot cornerback position from the end of 2018 when Bryce Callahan's time in Chicago ended until 2023 when Gordon really asserted himself at the slot. And then they're going to throw it all away and move Gordon to safety?

They can draft a safety or sign one. Having a strong slot cornerback in the modern game is bigger than safety, where you can always find a starter. There just aren't enough slot cornerbacks who can play. The Bears are lucky to have one.

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Linebacker position flip

The talk was all about moving Tremaine Edmunds to weakside linebacker from the middle, and moving T.J. Edwards to the middle from weakside.  At least, they were going to look at this.

"I've played Mike most of my career and then got here and played a little bit of Will–played a lot of Will–and got to understand that," Edwards said. "I understand the areas I need to be better at, understand the things I do well. I'm pretty comfortable in both."

Bottom Line: They didn't get to look at Edwards at a different spot because of an injury yet to be revealed. They did look at Edmunds moving a bit.

Matt Eberflus got both spots right when they signed these two. Edwards doesn't have the pass defense range Edmunds has but he is an explosive and physical player who can be really disruptive when attacking the run. That's perfect for a weakside in the last scheme and this one.

Unlike some of the other position flops, this is a valuable one because of both players' experience. They can be confident if one is hurt, they could move the other if needed. It's not going to be a case of weakening themselves at two spots with a move.

They'll keep their regular spots but know they can flip if injury occurs, or if they really want to foul up the opposing quarterback with a different look.

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DE Dayo Odeyingbo moves inside

The idea about Odeyingbo, their free agent defensive end acquisition from the Colts, was explained by Allen.

"I think one of the things that he does exceptionally well is, I think he moves inside and passing downs and rushes really well from the interior," Allen said. "I do think we have some options there and certainly, that's like one of the main points of pass rush."

Bottom Line: No one saw Odeyingbo at tackle or even end, or cornerback or safety for that matter. He was injured virtually all offseason. This isn't so much a change of position but continuing something he already did with the Colts by moving inside to rush the QB. They'll do this regardless of not getting a look at it in OTAs or minicamp. Like Allen said, this is a strength of Odeyingbo's and he did it in the past.

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WR DJ Moore to the slot

When Johnson signed, thoughts of Moore lining up inside like Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit seemed to gain momentum. Then they signed Olamide Zaccheaus and drafted Luther Burden III. Not much has been said about a move like this but it really doesn't need to be discussed.

Bottom Line: Moore is going to line up in the slot anyway. This is how Johnson's offense works. So will Rome Odunze. So will Zaccheaus and Burden. Colston Loveland will line up in the slot. It's an important position and being interchangeable in this attack is required.

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