Can Chris Williams play LT?

As the draft and free agency debate get going we need to find out what we have on the OL.

The question was asked can the Bears continue with Frank Omiyale at LT?

While Frankie was better this year he is simply not a LT of a playoff team so my answer is NO.

That leads to the next questions can Chris Williams move back out to LT and play at the level that we need?

If this year is any indication then the answer would be no as Chris Williams was moved from the LT position to LG. I know the arguement was made that it was to get the bets 5 players on the field, but most teams do not move their LT.

Moving towards the draft can Chris Williams play LT or do the Bears need to move on?

People that seem to know the OL position better then most hold out hope he can. But Tice seemed to think otherwise; which scares me to think he felt Omi was a better fit there. I think it's going to depend on what we can get in FA or the Draft if we try him at LT again or if he stays at LG.

Chicken or the egg? Was Williams moved inside because Tice didn't think he was the long term answer at LT, or was he moved inside out of necessity because he wanted to put a bandaid on the interior of the OL to get us through the season? Truth is we don't know.

Physically, Williams is absolutely capable of playing LT...which is exactly what we drafted him to be. He doesn't have the prototypical length that many look for in a franchise LT to create separation and keep edge rushers at bay, but he's athletic and he's got great feet to stay in front of and mirror them. Most of his issues were technical. He'd over extend making it easier to be knocked of balance or he'd allow bull rushers to get in on him too much and control him rather than use his hands to fight them off.

If he can consistently play with good leverage and use his hands more effectively, he could be a solid LT at worst because the physical tools are there. Hopefully he's the guy at LT because he doesn't have that nasty mean streak that I love in my OGs like Pouncey and Wisniewski do.

More than likely, the draft will tell us whether Tice thinks he's our LT or not.

i doubt it

Hopefully he can play LT or RT, as good as Webb has become, he might even be the future LT. Sometimes it takes a few years to develop.

i think hes just bad at football

CW seems to be a bust. Omiyale gave up sacks like they were candy on halloween. So if Tice thought he was a better fit than CW I think it's safe to say he's done. He's not strong enough to play OG if we ever want to be able to run the ball consistently. And while I think Haynesworth is a great DT, the way he flat out owned CW is inexcuseable. I think its a good idea to keep Kruetz, Webb, and Garza, but make them all have legit training camp battles with someone the Bears bring in (FA, or draft pick). I think we should keep all the youth for developing like Louis and E. Williams. Maybe CW if he agrees to a pay cut. He's paid too much to be a back up and not good enough to start. Then bring in some legit FA OLmen and draft some good prospects too. The OL has been a huge problem for years and the Bears keep ignoring it. I hope the trend ends this year.

I don't know if Cwill is a bust due to the fact that Omiyale is likely too expensive to sit and he had a short bit of consistency at LT. It could be that Tice put him at LG instead of RT because he wishes to sharpen some attributes before moving him back. It's really hard to tell since Omiyale skews the left side of the line along with being bad.
The only immediate impact we could hope for is Mankins or a FA/C and pray they draft high for quality depth. I'd also be curious to know if we are going to keep 8 or 9 linemen and if Louis and E.Williams are worth keeping.

If he could play it, he'd have it. He doesn't, because he can't.

Because we're all in head's seeing his decision making. With that aside, Williams only gave up 8 sacks in his first full year as a starter at T. He obviously can't handle the bullrushers at DT, which is why he makes a piss poor G, but We've no option but to get a real set of guards this offseason (goodbye garza), and maybe they can help Webb and Williams next year. The fact that Webb has played as well as a 1st rounder (though this is not a blind homerism), says he has SOME potential for the future.