Mills expects to stay at right tackle; Bears vow answer Friday

Jordan Mills has shuffled between the familiar right tackle and new left guard positions all week, but said Thursday he anticipates playing the former Sunday night against the Packers.

The Bears’ second-year player said he feels comfortable at guard, though “it’s going to take a couple more practices,” likely, to feel better.

Asked whether Mills would play tackle Sunday, offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer said, “We’ll see.” The Bears have shuffled Michael Ola — who started at right tackle in Week 8 — and guard/center Brian de la Puente, along with Mills, at guard. De la Puente’s value comes as the team’s only backup center; risking injury by starting him at guard might be a reach.

Coach Marc Trestman was said he was “going to be a little more deliberate” before making a decision Friday.

“I think I’ll give you a direct answer (Friday),” he said. “Aaron and I didn’t get a chance to talk. We haven’t had a chance to look at the video. but I would like to be more convicted tomorrow in terms of where we’re gonna go. We did move them around today. Brian played some guard. Ola played some tackle. Ola went inside and played guard of course. And Jordan was at the tackle position. We moved him a little bit as well.

“We really have tried to move some people around, based on the situation we’re in, losing Eben (Britton, to appendicitis), No. 1, and working (rookie tackle) Charles Leno into the group as well. We want to come to some conclusions by the end of the day and establish the lineup for tomorrow.”

Mills said switching positions has had its ups and downs.

“When you go to the new position that you haven’t played or necessarily repped a lot, it’s kinda hard,” he said. “When you go back to the old position, it’s fine. You have to get out of that mindset you were in before — it’s a little bit quicker than the last mindset (at tackle).

“But once I got used to being at guard throughout practice, it was fine.”