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With unproven second-year pro Josh Beekman and mediocre-at-best seventh-year pro Terrence Metcalf considered the front-runners for the starting OLG job, and journeyman John St. Clair shaping up as the starter at right tackle heading into the draft, it’s easy to see why the consensus among team sources is that the Bears remain committed to bolstering their offensive line with their first pick (14th overall) in late April. But the way we hear it, the Bears’ need for help at running back may be greater than the team is letting on, with rumors circulating that the ankle injury that prematurely ended underachieving featured back Cedric Benson’s 2007 season might actually be serious enough to potentially threaten his career. With the Bears being more tight-lipped than ever regarding injury information, it’s hard to get an exact gauge on Benson’s ongoing rehab. Daily team observers tell us Benson has been a regular at Halas Hall this offseason, but nobody has seen him actually working out. The best guess is that, at the very least, the verdict on Benson will remain out until he actually tests the ankle for the first time in training camp. In the meantime, the Bears are said to have every intention of addressing their need for RB help in the draft — but probably not until the third round, where they think they could still find quality help. However, if Arkansas hotshot Darren McFadden somehow falls through the cracks in the first round of the draft and is still available at No. 14 — a scenario our draft insiders believe is entirely possible — our sources suspect GM Jerry Angelo and his crew might have to think long and hard about possibly switching gears.
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