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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Saturday’s fifth-round choice of Louisiana Tech offensive tackle Jordan Mills is just the latest in a series of moves the Chicago Bears have made to overhaul the offensive line -- clearly the weakest unit on the team last season in the eyes of general manager Phil Emery.

The Bears are set at left tackle with Pro Bowler Jermon Bushrod.

On the right side - it’s a different story.

Veterans J'Marcus Webb and Jonathan Scott are expected to battle it out for the starting right tackle job, but neither is assured of a spot long-term. Webb and Scott are signed through 2013.

Mills is a versatile player who lined up primarily at tackle at Louisiana Tech, but also spent time at guard in 2009. At 6-5, 315 pounds, Mills has the size to play offensive tackle in the NFL, however, the Bears do seem determined to plug in larger bodies inside at guard.

“I’ll play anywhere, left side or right side.” Mills. “I told my coaches I’ll play anywhere they need me. Wherever they need me to win, I’ll be there. Like I told my coaches, if they need me at H-Back to lead block, I’ll do that.”

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DES PLAINES, Ill. -- Chicago Bears offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb said Tuesday he is "moving forward" after an offseason arrest in Southern Illinois for marijuana possession.

The charges were eventually dropped against Webb, who met the media for the first time since the incident at the Bears' annual Ed Block Courage Award luncheon at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, Ill.

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CHICAGO -- J'Marcus Webb is on the move.

Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery confirmed that Webb has been flipped to right tackle following the signing of two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jermon Bushrod to a five-year, $35.9 million contract on Tuesday.

Webb, who started 12 games at right tackle his rookie year for the Bears, is expected to be in competition with Gabe Carimi and/or unrestricted free agent Jonathan Scott, whom the Bears will attempt to re-sign. If they fail in their bid to bring back Scott, the Bears could add another tackle in free agency or the draft.

Carimi also will get a look inside at guard, according to Emery.

"He'll have opportunities both at tackle and guard," Emery said. "We'll see what is the best fit for Gabe. I'm excited to see how he comes back and competes at both those spots so we can find the best five to put together."

At the moment, Webb appears to be the front-runner to be the Week 1 right tackle, barring injury. But the former seventh-round pick out of West Texas A&M did himself no favors last month off the field. Webb had a highly-publicized run-in with the law in downstate Illinois on Feb. 27 when he was arrested during a traffic stop for allegedly being in possession of a controlled substance. The charges were later dropped.

Emery said the organization spoke with Webb shortly after the incident.

"We definitely sat down and talked to J'Marcus," Emery said on Wednesday. "We definitely let him know what our expectation level is and what our standards are, and we certainly expect that he will work diligently in meeting those expectations and standards and continue to compete for his job and add to the team."

This is a critical year for Webb, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract.

Three years of horrendous pass protection have finally compelled the Chicago Bears to address their offensive line. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and others, the Bears have agreed to terms with free agent Jermon Bushrod, who spent his first six seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

Bushrod has been named to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons and gives the Bears their first legitimate left tackle since John Tait retired after the 2008 season. A patchwork journey that included Orlando Pace, Chris Williams, Frank Omiyale and most recently J'Marcus Webb -- Oh, the memories! -- led the Bears to pay what will likely be a premium price to lock down the position. (Update: Bushrod received a five-year deal worth $35.9 million.) The Bears chose Bushrod over fellow free agent Jake Long, presumably because offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer coached him in New Orleans.

Kudos to Kromer, coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery for recognizing and finally acting on such an obvious liability. We've spent so much time discussing the state of the Bears' offensive line, and their annually unreasonable requests of former line coach Mike Tice to patch it together, that it feels surreal to acknowledge such a significant move.

Webb presumably will be given a chance to compete at right tackle, the position where he began his career and where 2011 first-round draft pick Gabe Carimi has flopped.

In 40 regular-season games over the past three seasons, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has absorbed 113 sacks -- the highest per-game percentage in the NFL and the third most in raw sack numbers among quarterbacks during that stretch, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Cutler's shove and verbal harangue of Webb in Week 2 last season was but one illustration of his frustration with the Bears' pass protection over his tenure.

The Bears still have work to do, even after signing Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett. Right guard Lance Louis remains unsigned, as is left guard Chris Spencer. The Bears want Louis back but will need to find a replacement for Spencer. It's also a bit scary to know that the top two candidates to play right tackle are both previously deposed starters. And let's not forget that center Roberto Garza has always been considered a stopgap replacement for Olin Kreutz, not necessarily a long-term replacement.

But left tackle is by far the most important position on the offensive line. The Saints didn't have the salary-cap space to keep Bushrod, and quite frankly I don't know how the Bears did, either. That's a discussion for another day. In the end, the Bears decided to stop their five-year charade at the position and have finally addressed it in a substantive way. Can you believe it?

Let's preface this by saying the stat about to come next isn't solely about Bears left tackle J'Marcus Webb, as much as it is about the need to upgrade the offensive line as a whole.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bears have allowed a sack once every 11.9 dropbacks since the start of 2011, which ranks as second-worst in the NFL. Webb played every snap at left tackle over that span, but so did center Roberto Garza.

With free agency set to start Tuesday, several reports have circulated about the team expressing interest in players such as New Orleans'
Jermon Bushrod, and Miami's Jake Long. It's worth noting that under previous general manager Jerry Angelo, the Bears made an unsuccessful run in 2011 at Bushrod, who eventually re-signed with the Saints.

Meanwhile, it's unclear whether the interest in Long is genuine considering the fact his last two seasons ended with injuries, not to mention he could command a salary in the $10 million-per-year range.

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A prosecutor said Wednesday he will not pursue marijuana possession charges against Chicago Bears offensive lineman J'Marcus Webb, who was charged after a traffic stop in southern Illinois over the weekend.

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The Chicago Bears didn't practice Wednesday because their beat-up roster needed an additional day of recovery. Clearly, however, their players' mouths -- literal and virtual -- are unaffected.

We've already discussed receiver Brandon Marshall's challenge of the Green Bay Packers in advance of Sunday's game. Let's also note that Bears left tackle J'Marcus Webb, who like Marshall had a rough game in the teams' Week 2 meeting, is promising a big performance Sunday.

Via Twitter, Webb said:

JWebb Nation!You have my promise that I will go out and rock the left side for the Green Bay Game!I Got This!Bear Down!

— J'Marcus Webb (@jmarcuswebb) December 12, 2012

You'll recall that Webb was part of a Bears offense that allowed seven sacks in that Sept. 13 game. Webb was responsible for two of them, according to Pro Football Focus, and played poorly enough that quarterback Jay Cutler bumped and yelled at him in frustration on the sideline.

Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, who had 3.5 sacks in that game, practiced Wednesday and could be in line to play for the first time in more than a month after straining a hamstring. The JWebb Nation could have its collective hands full.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- While it's uncommon to lose a pair of starters on the offensive line in the same game the way Chicago did Sunday during its win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears aren't exactly novices at dealing with attrition up front.

Perhaps that's why Bears quarterback Jay Cutler didn't hesitate when stating what needs to take place Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks in order for the offensive line to experience success.

"We've just got to be careful of what we ask those guys to do, make sure they're on the same page, (and) protect them," Cutler said. "You don't want to throw a lot of sevens (seven-step drops) and chuck the ball 40-50 times. They're not programmed for it. They're in new positions. Some guys haven't even played guard. We've just got to be smart with it."

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CHICAGO -- For the second time this season, Chicago Bears offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb had to answer questions about an in-game incident with Jay Cutler, but on Tuesday the answers were punctuated with a smile.

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Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said his fatherly instincts kicked in Sunday when he had another incident with offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb, but this episode did not include scolding or tough love.

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Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

November woes: The Green Bay Packers have won four consecutive road games against the New York Giants, their opponent in Sunday's prime-time game. And are the Packers getting the Giants at a good time? Recent history is inexplicable but clear. The Giants are a bad November team, and this year quarterback Eli Manning has slumped badly as well. Under coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants are 13-21 in November and 67-37 in all other months. The Giants have lost their past five games in November, including two this season. Manning, meanwhile, hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since the fourth quarter of Week 7, a span of 99 passes. Since Week 8, Manning has completed only 54.5 percent of his total throws and has a Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) of 27.1, ranking him No. 29 of 33 qualifiers during that span.

Run opportunities: The Packers achieved rare equality in their run-pass ratio last week against the Detroit Lions, running on 28 plays and passing on 31. Coach Mike McCarthy lamented a relative lack of production from starter James Starks, who rushed for 74 yards on 25 carries, and it appears Starks and Alex Green will rotate more frequently Sunday night. The Packers should have some opportunities against a Giants defense that has allowed at least 150 rushing yards in consecutive home games for the first time since 2006. The Pittsburgh Steelers rushed for 158 yards against them two weeks ago, and 99 of those yards came after contact, an indication of the state of the Giants' tackling.

Big meeting: Few thought when the season began that the Week 12 meeting between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings would be so crucial to the NFC North race. Only one game separates the Bears (7-3) and Vikings (6-4), and they're set to play twice in the next three weeks. The Vikings have lost 10 of their past 11 games in Chicago, and the only game they've won in that span required a 224-yard effort from tailback Adrian Peterson and a 54-yard game-winning field goal from Ryan Longwell. The Bears are coming off a short week after an embarrassing road loss, but they appear likely to get back the services of quarterback Jay Cutler, who has won 12 of his past 13 games that he has finished. Of ESPN's 14 NFL experts, all but one picked the Bears to win this game.

Tracking Allen: Vikings defensive end Jared Allen had at least one sack in six consecutive games but has now gone two games without one. But the last time Allen saw the Bears, he lit up left tackle J'Marcus Webb for 3.5 sacks in the 2011 season finale. Webb is one of three offensive linemen who kept his job after backup quarterback Jason Campbell was sacked six times by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, but offensive coordinator Mike Tice has pledged constant chip help for Webb this weekend. The Bears will try to contain the rest of the Vikings' defense with a new right tackle (Jonathan Scott) and left guard (Chris Spencer).

Peterson power: The Bears' defense has proved vulnerable recently to what has been the decided strength of Peterson all season. Specifically, they have given up at least 80 yards on runs between the tackles in each of their past five games. Peterson, of course, has been gashing teams almost exclusively between the tackles since returning from knee surgery. This season, 174 of his carries, 922 of his yards, six of his touchdowns and 11 of his 20-plus yard runs have come on runs that began between the tackles. There is every reason to believe the Vikings will attack that area early and often, and then probably follow up with a heavy dose of their play-action game.

After the Chicago Bears' 32-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, here are three issues that merit further examination:

ESPN.com
1. The Bears' intent on offense was pretty clear. They opened the game with an extra tackle, Jonathan Scott, and rookie Evan Rodriguez lined up at fullback, and desperately wanted to establish the run with quarterback Jay Cutler sidelined. I get that. But that approach provided no alternative when the 49ers took the early lead, and I remain stunned at how poorly the Bears adjusted. Forced into passing situations, they put tackles J'Marcus Webb and Gabe Carimi in matchups they had already proved they couldn't win. It was absolutely criminal to stand by and let 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith beat them for 5.5 sacks. There is no doubt Smith is an elite pass-rusher, but the Bears needed to suck it up at some point and double-team him. Each sack came when the 49ers sent four or fewer rushers, meaning there was always someone available to help out if assigned. Instead, the Bears let Smith have a better game against them than any opponent in their history. In fact, Smith's sack total has been bested in a single game only four times in NFL history. Reggie White never had 5.5 sacks in a game. Neither did Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, nor Mark Gastineau. Why? Because even on their best days, they faced more opposition than Smith did Monday night. I'm not sure any adjustment on Smith would have changed the outcome of the game, given how well the 49ers' offense played, but yikes. That was an eye-opening red flag from offensive coordinator Mike Tice, who was promoted in part because his background as an offensive line coach figured to minimize such jailbreaks. The Bears' scheme was as much, or more, to blame for Smith's night as was the poor play of Webb and Carimi.
2. Jason Campbell's performance gets something of a curve given the pressure he faced. All told, he was sacked six times and hit on five other occasions. But in the bigger picture, I wouldn't say the Bears got their $3.5 million out of him Monday night. The point of making such a commitment on a backup quarterback was to give themselves a chance to win a tough game under adverse circumstances when the starter isn't available. Based on their initial game plan, the Bears didn't appear interested in putting the game in Campbell's hands. And when they had no choice, Campbell fell far short. He threw two interceptions, fumbled twice, and per his career history, rarely pushed the ball upfield. Of his 22 attempts, only six traveled more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He completed two of them for a total of 24 yards. Again, Campbell was in a tough spot Monday night. But the bottom line is the Bears are now 1-7 in the past eight games that starter Cutler has either missed or has left early. It appears Cutler is on track to return for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. He is scheduled to host his radio show on ESPN 1000 at 1 p.m. ET.
3. Cutler has alluded on several occasions to his role in keeping receiver Brandon Marshall mentally engaged and emotionally in check, and it was instructive to see how quickly Marshall got chippy and eventually combative without Cutler on the sideline with him. Television cameras caught center Roberto Garza putting him in a bear hug to settle down an altercation with an unnamed Bears player late in the game. "I have to a do a better job when I am frustrated of not letting it show," Marshall said. In the end, Marshall only saw four passes thrown his way. He caught two of them, including a 13-yard touchdown. Six of Marshall's eight touchdowns this season have come when the score differential was at least 17 points.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

What happened to the Bears' defense? Part of me wants to tip my cap to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It was fair to expect a conservative game plan and a few mistakes when facing a quarterback making his first start. We all thought Kaepernick would give the Bears a chance to add to their long list of takeaways this season. But Kaepernick was poised and stunningly accurate downfield against a Bears team that only blitzed on nine of his 23 attempts. Kaepernick gashed the Bears' standard pressure by completing 10 of 14 passes against it, including two that gained at least 30 yards. The 49ers also burned the Bears' defense by rushing for 94 yards between the tackles. Time will tell, but the Bears' defense -- like most -- was not nearly as good when it couldn't cause turnovers.

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith terrorized the Chicago Bears offensive line for a career high 5.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits Monday night, the most sacks the Bears have allowed to a single player since former Green Bay Packers defender Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila recorded four sacks in a game at the end of the 2004 regular season.

Niners right defensive tackle Justin Smith also had 0.5 sacks and three quarterback hits in the game.

"I have a thing for night games," Aldon Smith said. "I love playing at night. I love the lights."

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RISING

1. Tim Jennings, CB: Having already received recognition recently as NFC Defensive Player of the Week, Jennings should be up for the award again after his performance during the Bears' 23-22 win over the Carolina Panthers. Jennings picked off two passes in that game, including one returned 25 yards for a touchdown to give the Bears a fourth-quarter lead. In addition, Jennings made eight tackles while minimizing the impact of Carolina receiver Steve Smith.

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Armed with rest from a week off, the Chicago Bears returned to the practice field on Monday at Halas Hall in preparation for a home matchup on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions.

Given the issues endured through the first five games, particularly on offense, it's natural to wonder about the team's next evolution over the final 11 contests. But instead of guessing, we'll dig into some of the statistics provided by ESPN Stats & Information that brought the Bears to where they are now, and maybe then we can take educated guesses as to how the rest of the season might unfold.

This one is for the stat heads:

More shotgun? It sure doesn't look that way. It would seem operating out of shotgun formations would give quarterback Jay Cutler more time to scan the field to find open receivers, while also allowing him to get rid of the ball before the pass rushers converge. But through the first five games, shotgun hasn't given the lift you'd anticipate.

Out of shotgun formations, Cutler has completed 43 of 77 passes for 566 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions while absorbing eight of his 14 sacks. Cutler's QBR passing out of shotgun is 46.7 and his passer rating is 56.5. Obviously, several factors go into these numbers. But perhaps the easiest explanation for the inaccuracy is pressure. When the team operates out of shotgun, it's often running empty sets (five receivers, no running back) which means Cutler -- because of the lack of tight ends or running backs in protections, and the fact the offensive line is in one-on-one matchups -- is forced to throw the ball much quicker than he'd probably like. If he scans the field a second too long, he's at greater risk for taking a sack.

More rollouts? Cutler hasn't built up a large sample size to draw any conclusions about how he'll fare on rollouts, but he's completed 7 of 13 of his throws outside the pocket (some of these aren't designed rollouts) for 133 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and is averaging 7.9 yards per completion through the first five games.

Going into the Week 5 games, 21 quarterbacks around the league had thrown more balls outside the pocket than Cutler. So maybe it's time Chicago's offensive coaching staff lets Cutler loose?

Tighten up the protection: Until the Bears consistently shut down extra pass rushers, teams will continue to bring them. On 59 of Cutler's 156 attempts through the first five games, opponents brought five or more pass rushers. In those situations, Cutler completed 30 passes for 487 yards, four TDs, and three INTs while suffering nine sacks.

Running game makes passing game go: Cutler's numbers on playaction passes indicate as much. He's completed 65.4 percent of playaction passes for 273 yards and three TDs with only one INT and a passer rating of 122.8, while averaging 10.5 yards per completion.

So it's obvious opponents respect Chicago's rushing attack.

Speaking of the rushing attack: Matt Forte has gained 37.4 percent of his yardage after contact (101 of 270 yards) while 39.8 percent of Michael Bush's yardages (82 of 206 yards) comes after contact.

In goal-to-go situations, Bush has run the ball six times for 12 yards with three touchdowns. All three of those TDs came on runs inside the 3. More impressive is the fact that Bush has carried the ball four times this season inside the 3.

In short-yardage situations, the Bears have run the ball 10 times for 19 yards, while converting seven first downs.

On to the receivers: As a team, one area in which it could improve is yards after catch. Just 38.5 percent of the team's receiving yardage (465 of 1209 yards) has come after the catch, with Brandon Marshall leading the way (161 yards after the catch), followed by Forte (96) and Bush (62).

Collectively, the Bears have dropped a total of eight passes with Marshall owning responsibility for three, followed by Kellen Davis (2). Marshall remains one of the league's most targeted receivers (35 receptions on 56 targets). In the red zone, Marshall has caught three of the seven balls thrown his way for 19 yards and one of his three TDs.

No need to manufacture pressure: The Bears continue to show the propensity to disrupt opposing offenses by rushing just four defenders. When Chicago rushes four, it has allowed three touchdowns but picked off 10 passes. In addition, the club has gobbled up 15 sacks while rushing just four, while holding opponents to a QBR of 24.6 and a passer rating of 58.8.

Interestingly, when Chicago has rushed five, it has given up two touchdowns and picked off three passes while generating three sacks.

The Bears need to improve in short-yardage run situations. On third and fourth downs with 2 yards or fewer needed for a first down (not counting kneel-downs, fake punts or fake field goals), the Bears allowed a first down on four times in seven of those situations.