Omiyale Shifted With St. Clair Loss

After the Chicago Bears lost free agent tackle John St. Clair to the Cleveland Browns, they are starting to shift around their roster to compensate for the loss. Frank Omiyale, who was previously the second-team left guard, was moved to starting at right tackle. Omiyale is new with the Bears as he signed a four-year deal with the Bears earlier in free agency.

Head coach Lovie Smith commented on the move, saying, “We’re trying to lock guys in. He’ll play right tackle now. It’s hard enough learning a new system playing one position, so we’ll lock him in there for a while and go… We knew we had flexibility with Frank. He’s an athletic guy. He’s eager to learn, and of course [offensive line coach] Harry [Hiestand] will do a great job with him.”

The tackle position isn’t new for Omiyale, as he played left tackle with the Carolina Panthers last season. The loss of St. Clair also adds even more of an expectation for last year’s first round draft pick Chris Williams. Williams will take the field at left tackle after sitting out most of last season because of a pre-season surgery on his back. Get your Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on March 19, 2009 - Post a comment