LAKE FOREST – In their quest to shore up the offensive line in the 2022 season, the Bears have brought in a veteran lineman with local ties who brings plenty of versatility.
Orland Park native Michael Schofield has signed with the Bears just ahead of the start of training camp as he’ll be thrown into the mix to compete for time potentially at the guard or tackle position.
In seven seasons with three different teams, the lineman has played in 102 regular season games with 81 starts. He has five starts in the playoffs as well, including three with the Broncos in 2015 when they won Super Bowl 50.
Schofield has had starting time at a few positions on the line in his career, beginning at right tackle in 2015 then switched to right guard the next season. In 2017 with the Chargers, the lineman would go back to right tackle then went to right guard where he started all 16 games in 2018 and 2019.
In 2020 with the Panthers, he started three games, two at left guard and one at left tackle, then was exclusively at right tackle in Los Angeles in 2021.
Schofield figures to compete for a variety of the available positions on the offensive line, which remains very much up in the air as the 2022 season approaches. Most of the positions figure to be up for grabs since the line has struggled with consistency for a few years.
A former standout at Sandberg High School, Schofield is married to Kendall Coyne Schofield, a standout hockey player for Team USA and developmental coach for the Blackhawks.