Bears' C Lucas Patrick May Miss Week 1 With Thumb Injury

This offseason, the Chicago Bears have faced a bunch of media scrutiny for not helping their young superstar quarterback, Justin Fields. On Thursday, things got even worse as starting center Lucas Patrick walked off the field with trainer Andre Tucker after suffering a right thumb injury.

Patrick reportedly broke his right thumb, and the recovery timeline is roughly six weeks after surgery, according to our team of Pro Football Docs. That means his thumb may not be fully healed ahead of Week 1.

However, he can return to play guard before the six-week timetable because he wouldn't be required to snap the ball. If the Bears bring him back early, he is likely to play right guard.

Lucas Patrick Injury Update

The offensive line has multiple new starters, so this setback could hurt the unit’s cohesion.

The Bears drafted right tackle Tevin Jenkins in the second round of last year’s draft, but he sat out most of the season with a back injury. He reportedly didn’t practice on Thursday or Friday, but it was not immediately clear what his injury is.

When Patrick left the field, rookie Doug Kramer took his snaps as the starting center. Kramer was this year’s 207th overall pick.

Third-year center Sam Mustipher also took reps with the first team on Friday. 

Chicago signed veteran left tackle Riley Reiff to a one-year, $10 million contract on Tuesday. He finished last year on injured reserve with a left ankle injury.

Before Patrick's injury, the Bears' offensive line shaped up like this:

It will be interesting to see how that shifts during the preseason.