Who Is the Chicago Bears' Best Option at Guard If Kyle Long Moves to Tackle?

The Chicago Bears' selection of Kyle Long in the first round of the 2013 draft was met with some skepticism, but the former Oregon Duck anchored the right side of Chicago's offensive line at guard that season and was named to his first Pro Bowl.

Long started 15 games at right guard last season and was named to his second-straight Pro Bowl.

He has been one of the best guards in the NFL over the course of the last two seasons, but the Bears decided to use Long at right tackle during an OTA session in early June, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:

Head coach John Fox explained after practice why Long was being used at right tackle.

"We had a shortage of tackles right now," Fox said at the time, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. "We have a couple of guys in the training room. So we took a look at him there.” 

Long is listed at 6'6" and weighs 313 pounds, and Fox thinks the young lineman is athletic enough to play on the outside.

"He’s obviously a very, very capable athlete," Fox said, according to Biggs. "He has great strength, great athleticism. So I think he’s capable of playing anywhere across the line."

The Bears have not said whether or not Long is going to permanently move to tackle this season, but he appears to be the team's best option. 2013 fifth-round pick Jordan Mills started all 16 games his rookie season and 13 games last season at right tackle, but he struggled in pass protection.

According to Pro Football Focus, between 2013 and 2014, Mills allowed nine sacks, 19 quarterback hits and 93 quarterback hurries.  

Other than drafting Tayo Fabuluje in the sixth round of this year's draft, the Bears did not address the right tackle position this offseason. The team could put Mills back out there at right tackle and hope for the best, but Long appears to be Chicago's best option at the position this season.

If Long makes the move to right tackle, who will the Bears use at right guard?

The Candidates

The Bears currently have seven offensive linemen who could be vying for the starting right guard position in training camp if Long moves to right tackle.

Name	Height	Weight	Experience
Conor Boffeli	6'4"	304	1
Vladimir Ducasse	6'5"	325	6
Ryan Groy	6'5"	320	2
Chad Hamilton	6'2"	292	Rookie
Michael Ola	6'4"	312	2
Jordan Mills	6'5"	316	3
Hroniss Grasu	6'3"	297	Rookie

Conor Boffeli went undrafted in 2014 and spent time with both the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans last offseason. The Bears signed him last October, and he spent the rest of the season on Chicago's practice squad.

The former Iowa guard has good feet and is a hard worker, but he needs to get stronger. He is a good fit in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's scheme because of his athleticism, but it is going to be hard for him to make the roster this season because he is still very raw.

The Bears signed Vladimir Ducasse to a one-year deal in March, and the former second-round pick of the New York Jets is one of the front-runners for the right guard spot.

When the Bears moved Long to right tackle during OTAs, Ducasse took reps at right guard with the first-team offense, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com:

In four seasons with the Jets and one with the Minnesota Vikings, Ducasse started 11 games at guard. He made six starts last season with the Vikings, and according to Pro Football Focus, he finished the season with a minus-14.1 overall grade and allowed four sacks, one quarterback hit and nine quarterback hurries. 

He is a strong guard who excels in the power-running game, but he needs to improve his footwork. He is a bit stiff out of his stance and struggles to get to the second level in the running game. Despite his flaws, the coaching staff appears to like him.

Ryan Groy went undrafted in 2014, but the Bears signed him immediately following the conclusion of the draft. Groy made starts at left tackle, left guard, center and fullback while at the University of Wisconsin and was projected to be a third-round pick in the 2014 draft, per NFL.com.

Matt Marton/Associated Press

He made his first appearance in Week 14 last season, and he started the final three games of the year at left guard. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished the 2014 season with a minus-2.4 overall grade and allowed one sack, one quarterback hit and five quarterback hurries in 237 total snaps. 

Groy has a strong base and uses his hands well, but he needs to do a better job of shuffling his feet in pass protection. 

Chad Hamilton went undrafted out of Coastal Carolina this past May, but the Bears signed the former FCS All-American to a three-year contract. 

Hamilton played both tackle and guard in college, but NFL.com's Lance Zierlein thinks the young lineman would benefit from staying inside at either guard or center.

"Outstanding athlete who dominated the competition on the FCS level with athleticism and sound technique," Zierlein wrote in his scouting report of Hamilton. "Hamilton's lack of length could force him inside and once there, he must prove he's strong enough to handle himself."

The Bears officially list him as a guard, and while he has some upside, he needs to get stronger.

Michael Ola signed with the Bears last summer after he was released by the Miami Dolphins, and the former Hampton standout started 12 games last season. He made six starts at left guard, two at left tackle, three at right tackle and one at right guard. 

Ola showed off his versatility last season, but he might be a better fit as the team's top reserve lineman. 

Despite his struggles on the outside at right tackle, Mills could be an option inside at right guard this season. At one point last season, Mills moved inside to left guard in practice with Ola on the outside at tackle, according to Adam Hoge of WGNRadio.com:

Mills eventually moved back to right tackle, but then-head coach Marc Trestman thought Mills was a good fit inside at guard.

“He’s a versatile athlete,” Trestman said of Mills, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s got strong hands. He’s obviously a large man. And again the integrity of the pocket is so important having a man of that size ready to hold it down is something we want to look into, so that’s where we are today.”

Mills struggled against quick, athletic defensive ends, while playing on an island at right tackle, but he could benefit from playing with more protection around him at guard.

The Bears drafted Hroniss Grasu in the third round of this year's draft, and the young center could be an option at right guard this season. He is extremely athletic, can get to the second level with ease and started 52 games at Oregon, but he lacks ideal strength for the position.

He is an intriguing option because of his athleticism, but he is a better fit at center because of his experience and knowledge of the game. He will have a chance to earn the starting center job over veteran Will Montgomery this summer, and he will likely focus all his attention on earning that job in training camp.

 

What Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase Looks for in a Guard

Gase spent the last two seasons as Denver's offensive coordinator, and during that time, the Broncos were one of the league's most consistent offenses. The Broncos benefited from having quarterback Peyton Manning under center, but the offensive line was one of the keys to Denver's success on offense the last two seasons.

Denver's offensive line allowed the fewest sacks in 2013 (20) and in 2014 (17), and the Broncos averaged 117.1 rushing yards per game in 2013 and 111.6 rushing yards per game in 2014.

The Bears will likely lean more heavily on the running game this season, and Gase is known for using a variety of different concepts in the running game.

Montgomery spent last season in Denver playing under Gase, and the Bears signed him to a one-year deal this past April. The veteran center explained Gase's philosophy earlier this offseason.

“We had the outside zone, obviously, with Gase, but I’m not going to say that’s all we run,” Montgomery said, per Campbell. “We run a lot of stuff. We run outside, we run inside, we run power and ‘iso’, screens. Everything is kind of a well-rounded mix and also game-plan specific, so it’s not like there’s any one thing somebody can key on because we’re always switching it up.”

Because of the different concepts Gase likes to use, he prefers linemen who are versatile. Long is a terrific fit in Gase's scheme at guard because of his athleticism and strength, but he is still the team's best option on the outside at tackle.

Gase asks his guards to be strong at the point of attack against powerful defensive tackles, and he also wants them to be able to track down a linebacker at the second level in the screen game.

In order for the offensive line to be successful this season, Gase is going to need to find a versatile lineman to play the right guard position if Long moves to the outside.

 

Verdict

The battle for the right guard position could end up being one of the most entertaining this summer in training camp if Long ultimately moves to right tackle.

Guys like Boffeli and Hamilton are too raw to be considered contenders for the position, but Ducasse, Groy, Ola, Mills and Grasu could all battle for the starting job this summer.

Grasu is an interesting player because of his athleticism, but he is a better fit at center. He could end up working with the first-team offense at times at guard, but he needs to get stronger.

If the Bears decide to keep Grasu solely as a center, the remaining four linemen will battle for the starting job.

Ducasse is strong and powerful, but he lacks the athleticism to get to the second level. Groy and Ola both showed flashes of their potential last season, but they still need a lot of work.

Other than playing guard in practice last season, Mills has no experience at the position, but he appears to be the team's best fit at right guard. He is aggressive in the running game and knows how to finish blocks.

He struggled in pass protection at tackle when he did not have a tight end, running back or extra offensive lineman protecting him on the outside, but a move inside to guard could help take some of the pressure off him in pass protection.

Mills needs to improve his footwork, primarily in pass protection, and he has to learn how to use his hands better to fend off pass-rushers. Despite his flaws, his overall athleticism and experience makes him the team's best option at right guard.

In the end, the Bears may decide it makes the most sense to keep their two-time Pro Bowler inside at guard, but if they decide Long's best fit is on the outside at tackle, Mills could flourish at right guard because of his strength and athleticism.

 

Statistical information and measurables courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich