[podgib]

Not really - they definitely could have extended the landing gear of the 737, as evidenced by the fact that they did exactly that for the 737 MAX 10. To handle the extra length they added telescoping landing gear that are about 10 inches longer than on the other variants

[Moto7451]

Lengthening the landings gear did nothing to change the engine placement. It was done to allow for type commonality.

https://www.geekwire.com/2018/boeing-737-max-10-landing-gear...

Even with the extension it’s not as tall as the 757 or A320 series.

[podgib]

True, it wasn't done to solve the problem of the engine placement. It solved an entirely different problem. But it does show that the changing the landing gear whilst maintaining type commonality wasn't impossible.