The Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview: Offensive Guards

Contrary to popular belief, the Bears offensive line wasn’t too bad in 2008 after many thought it would be after it was thought that the unit wouldn’t be that effective thanks to the level of talent that it had.  While not spectacular, Roberto Garza and Josh Beekman did a decent job of holding down the fort at the guard position but the Bears needed something more at the guard position.  They struck early by taking Frank Omiyale early but he was initially slated to play tackle.  They took Lance Louis in the draft but he is still young and may not be ready to step up right away.  The Bears still have almost the same group of guards from last year so little has changed.

The following is a look at each player at the guard position that the Bears are taking into training camp.  There is a peek into how they did in 2008, how their offseason is going so far and what the chances are of them making the active roster at the end of training camp.

Frank Omiyale-Omiyale was with the Carolina Panthers last season and while he wasn’t a full time starter, he did come in and play in relief when other players were injured and reports are that he did pretty well.  The Bears initially signed him to be a tackle but with the acquisition of Orlando Pace and the moving of Chris Williams to right tackle he can now focus on competing with Josh Beekman for his guard position.  Omiyale has had a decent training camp and there are some that think that he will indeed supplant Beekman as the starter at that guard position and be the starter when the season opens in September.

Josh Beekman-For such a young player, Beekman actually had a pretty decent season “holding down the fort” so to speak in 2008.  After having a moderately successful season, the Bears realized that Beekman may not be the overall best answer at the guard position but didn’t do much about getting someone in there to compete with him until the switching around that happened when Pace came to the team.  Now, Beekman will battle it out with Omiyale for Beekman’s guard spot and it appears as if Beekman may not beat out Omiyale and will end up backing up at the guard (and the center) position.

Roberto Garza-Garza was the other starter at the guard position in 2008 and while he didn’t have a Pro Bowl caliber season, Garza was still pretty solid playing the guard position.  Garza has had an uneventful off season and isn’t going to see anyone push him out of his starting spot so he should be pretty safe for the 2009 season.  He will remain the starter in training camp but will face stiffer competition next season as the Bears are sure to bring in someone to try to beat him out and better solidify the position. 

Dan Buenning-Buenning was brought in from Tampa Bay last season to help add some depth at the guard position and can come in and start if needed but isn’t a guy that you would want in there game in and game out.  While he may not be the most athletic option for the position, he is a veteran and has a little bit of an advantage over some of the younger guys who will come in an compete for a backup guard spot.  Look for Buenning to remain on the team as a backup at the guard position and be an adequate fill in just in case of injury.

Tyler Reed-Reed, in his second season with the Bears, will make a run at getting a backup spot at the guard position on the active roster this season.  With Beekman, Omiyale, Garza, and Buenning ahead of him, it’s not out of the question to think that he will most likely become that fifth guy at the position as he has the experience that the Bears like in having a backup at the guard position.  If Chicago decides to keep five or more guards at the position, Reed should be able to come in and be that fifth guard.

Lance Louis-Louis, a tight end and guard in college, was drafted by the Bears this season to play the guard position and is one of the more athletic players at the position.  Louis is quite the developmental prospect and probably won’t see any live time on the field during the regular season but will be someone that the Bears hope to develop and get on their practice squad roster.  He does provide some competition at the guard position though and could wind up a good backup prospect something in the future.

Johan Asiata-Asiata, a rookie out of UNLV, was signed as an undrafted free agent and brought in to add some depth at the guard and get some competition going for a backup spot.  Asiata did play pretty well during his career at UNLV and may end up being a practice squad favorite of the Bears at the end of training camp.  He will make things interesting in training camp.

Dennis Conley-Conley, a rookie out of Hampton, is the underdog in all of the competition for the guard position coming into training camp this summer.  While he had a decent and stable career at Hampton, not playing in a big time program may hurt him in the long run.  At best, Conley is a along shot at making the roster this season but may get lucky and end up on the practice squad.

If any of these players could swing over and play the tackle position that might really help the Bears out due to their lack of depth there but for now, the Bears are stocked at the guard position with depth but it may not necessarily be the best depth that the team could possibly have.  They need to start looking into getting some better quality at the guard position and should look at doing that next year in the draft or even through free agency next season.