The Chicago Bears’ interior offensive line picture is starting to come into focus, but the last few jobs are still wide open as preseason approaches.
The top three interior spots look set, and Logan Jones seems locked in as the backup center. Jones is expected to work strictly at center, which leaves the Bears needing answers at guard unless they decide Kiran Amegadjie can handle both tackle and guard duties. If not, the team will likely keep two guards on the roster.
That makes this a real battle, and the names to track are Luke Newman, Jordan McFadden, Caden Barnett, Kyle Hergel, and Wesley French. Jared Kump is part of the group as well, though he is more likely to settle in as the third-string center and a strong practice squad candidate.
Newman has the cleanest path. A sixth-round pick in 2025, he already saw action in two games as a reserve during his rookie year. He also logged 61 snaps at left guard and 87 at right guard in the preseason, and that kind of flexibility could make him the favorite to land as the fifth interior lineman.
McFadden brings a different kind of resume. The Bears signed him in 2025 after he spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, who made him a fifth-round pick in 2025.
He played 179 preseason snaps for Chicago, all of them at left guard. That sets up an interesting preseason opener pairing with Newman, since the two could be the starters up front.
The question for McFadden is whether he can hang on again. He’s back for a second season with the Bears, and the competition around him is real.
Barnett is another name gaining traction. The rookie UDFA out of Wyoming has flashed enough in training camp to get attention, but preseason is where he has to turn that buzz into something concrete.
He has mostly played right guard, which could make the final roster fight come down to Barnett at right guard or McFadden at left guard. Newman’s ability to play both spots gives Chicago some useful balance in that mix.
Hergel and French also remain in the picture because of their versatility. Hergel, a 2024 UDFA who spent the last two years with the New Orleans Saints, can handle three positions.
French, a UDFA from 2022 who spent four years with the Indianapolis Colts, also brings three-position flexibility. Both could make their case as the preseason rolls on, especially when the action gets deeper into games.
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Several Bears players flashed in ways that should matter as the team sorts through strengths and weak spots, and the opener gave the coaching staff plenty to weigh. There were standout plays to note, but also clear areas that need work before the games start counting, which is exactly why an exhibition like this can spark debate among fans even when the result itself is never really the point. [Read more 🡒]
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Gordons latest setback, a lingering calf issue, has kept him on the physically unable to perform list and turned what looked like a manageable situation into a lingering one. The bigger concern now is how long the Bears can wait for a clean return, especially with signs that patience around his health is starting to wear thin. For a defense that needs stability more than anything, his status has become one of the most important unanswered questions in camp. [Read more 🡒]
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Wills still has time to change the conversation, and preseason snaps will matter as Chicago sorts through the tackle room. But performances like this only make the decision harder, especially if the Bears start weighing whether the roster spot and short-term upside are worth keeping around while the battle for the starting job keeps moving in Trapilos direction. [Read more 🡒]