The competition for the Chicago Bears' left tackle position is still wide open, as offensive coordinator Mike Tice told reporters on Thursday. ESPN Chicago's Michael C. Wright has the quotes from Tice, who ran the team's offensive line last year under former coordinator Mike Martz.

As Wright writes, Tice was firm in his denial that incumbent starter J'Marcus Webb is the front-runner, as former starting guard and first round pick Chris Williams is getting a legitimate look at the position as well. Williams has started 38 games for Chicago over the past three seasons, but he's missed ten games in the past two years due to injury.

A reliable performance from the offensive line this season would be huge for the Bears, as they're potentially looking at an unusually explosive offensive for the typically defensive-minded team. Jay Cutler has loads of weapons, including new wideout Brandon Marshall, so there's pressure on the line to make everything work.

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