Bears sign offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson on one-year contract

The Bears are adding more depth on their offensive line. The team announced Tuesday that it has signed offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson on a one-year contract.

Wilkinson, 26, played the previous four seasons with the Denver Broncos. He has appeared in 45 NFL games with 26 starts. Wilkinson served as the Broncos’ starting right tackle for seven games last season. A broken shinbone limited him to only nine games overall in 2020.

Wilkinson went undrafted out of Massachusetts in 2017. The 6-foot-4, 329-pound lineman also has NFL experience at right guard.

The Bears released former right tackle Bobby Massie earlier this month, creating an opening at the position.

The Bears’ current lineup on the offensive line could be some combination of: left tackle Charles Leno, guard/center James Daniels, guard/center Cody Whitehair, center Sam Mustipher, right guard/right tackle Germain Ifedi and right guard/right tackle Wilkinson.

The Bears face at least two pressing questions on the line. Has Mustipher done enough to show he is a starting center in the NFL or only a backup? And who starts at right tackle?

Signing Wilkinson doesn’t preclude the Bears from selecting a tackle in next month’s draft. But bringing in Wilkinson gives them a veteran starter who has experience at multiple positions. If the Bears draft a tackle in the first round, they would almost certainly slot the rookie into the starting lineup. If drafting a quarterback becomes the first-round priority, they at least have a serviceable starter at right tackle should they select a lineman who is more of a project later in the draft.