Offensive Line thoughts

[Noots]

Like it or not, he’ll be the starter at RG when the season opens next year.
If they were trying to relegate him to swing or demote him, they would have put Jenkins over there, benched him, and put Whitey Coathair at LG.

He got off to a slow start because of personal issues. And he had some injury issues. And his level of play wasn’t up to par with what it should be.
But they like him and they’ve paid him. What I’ve seen of his play as a technician, and the pad level he plays with— is more consistently good than anyone else on that line. I’d also argue that LG and RG suffered a bit because our C situation was so bad. Pretty sure in the last game or the one before, they let a free blitzer go between C and RG because LT LG C blocked left and RG RT blocked right, opening a gaping hole tailor made for the blitzer.


Look, I know he got off on the wrong foot with us sipping a beer at the bar. He’s a Bear now. They paid the guy to be a starter.

[Moriarty]

Like it or not, he’ll be the starter at RG when the season opens next year.
If they were trying to relegate him to swing or demote him, they would have put Jenkins over there, benched him, and put Whitey Coathair at LG.

He got off to a slow start because of personal issues. And he had some injury issues. And his level of play wasn’t up to par with what it should be.
But they like him and they’ve paid him. What I’ve seen of his play as a technician, and the pad level he plays with— is more consistently good than anyone else on that line. I’d also argue that LG and RG suffered a bit because our C situation was so bad. Pretty sure in the last game or the one before, they let a free blitzer go between C and RG because LT LG C blocked left and RG RT blocked right, opening a gaping hole tailor made for the blitzer.


Look, I know he got off on the wrong foot with us sipping a beer at the bar. He’s a Bear now. They paid the guy to be a starter.

Yeah.
They might bring in an experienced backup or a R4-5 guy they hope to eventually grow into a starter, but I don't see any serious challenge being made to his job in 24.

[dplank]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Money means he will be here, but he should have to earn the job.

[Z Bear]

One of the four below should be the Bears' starting center next year. As others have alluded to, the OC is the leader on the line and would be tough for a rookie to come in and excel. All three OTs, your starting LG and backup swing G are all on rookie contracts so it makes sense to spend good money on the best center you can bring in. Then draft another OG on Day 2 or 3 then your line should be fine.

Connor Williams (26) 86.5 PFF grade
Andre James (26) 74.6
Lloyd Cushenberry (26) 73.3
Tyler Biadasz (26) 68.6
-------------------------------------
Lucas Patrick 50.5 PFF (for comparison)
Cody Whitehair 45.0

[wab]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Eh, he was barely available and it wasn't just because of the passing of his mother...it was due to injuries too. And he wasn't very good when he did play.

I don't think the circumstances matter, they can't go into next year without a plan B.

[thunderspirit]

One of the four below should be the Bears' starting center next year. As others have alluded to, the OC is the leader on the line and would be tough for a rookie to come in and excel. All three OTs, your starting LG and backup swing G are all on rookie contracts so it makes sense to spend good money on the best center you can bring in. Then draft another OG on Day 2 or 3 then your line should be fine.

Connor Williams (26) 86.5 PFF grade
Andre James (26) 74.6
Lloyd Cushenberry (26) 73.3
Tyler Biadasz (26) 68.6
-------------------------------------
Lucas Patrick 50.5 PFF (for comparison)
Cody Whitehair 45.0

I like Connor Williams a lot. He tore his ACL in Week 14, though, so it remains to be seen if he could pass a physical in March.

Put me in the Cushenberry camp.

[wab]

I like Andre James, but I suspect the Raiders will want to try and keep him.

[G08]

How the new OC feels about the OL will be interesting. Jenkins/Wright are still pretty heavy dudes. I don't think they ever got to the body composition that Getsy/Morgan was after. So do they hire a dude that wants these guys to continue to shed weight and be athletic and powerful guys or are we back to Juan Castillo time where they are bulking back up to 350-360 road grader types....

I don't think we'll see that happen, it seems like they want to keep this brand of OL and run inside/outside zone paired with the Shanahan system (or at least that's what they've said previously).

Wright and Jenkins are athletic big boys so we're lucky in the sense that they can handle power as well if/when needed.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Jenkins is an ass-kicker.

SVP Center
Graham Barton OT (versatility to play anywhere along the line)
B Jones to swing tackle.

I’m reliably informed that guards grow on trees.

[wab]

Barton makes more sense at guard than moving Jones does...

[RichH55]

Jenkins is an ass-kicker.

SVP Center
Graham Barton OT (versatility to play anywhere along the line)
B Jones to swing tackle.

I’m reliably informed that guards grow on trees.

Yep - and Wright could be an All Pro Guard. IMHO

Not an ideal use of a Top 10 pick - but sunk costs are sunk costs - so dont worry about that part of it

[HurricaneBear]

Jenkins is an ass-kicker.

SVP Center
Graham Barton OT (versatility to play anywhere along the line)
B Jones to swing tackle.

I’m reliably informed that guards grow on trees.

Yep - and Wright could be an All Pro Guard. IMHO

Not an ideal use of a Top 10 pick - but sunk costs are sunk costs - so dont worry about that part of it

Get the best 5 on the field, putem in a spot and leave them their.

If Wright has a 10 year all pro guard career it's the right move.

[dplank]

I would have no problems at all if we drafted a T high and moved Wright to G. Wright physically looks like he belongs out there so I think he will be a stalwart somewhere on the line, most likely at RT. He and Tev give us something that's hard to find - guys that can simply overpower any DL you put in front of them. That puts a defense on their heels. Adding a 3rd one could mean absolute dominance up front.

[TheWorldBreaker]

I would have no problems at all if we drafted a T high and moved Wright to G. Wright physically looks like he belongs out there so I think he will be a stalwart somewhere on the line, most likely at RT. He and Tev give us something that's hard to find - guys that can simply overpower any DL you put in front of them. That puts a defense on their heels. Adding a 3rd one could mean absolute dominance up front.

If they draft a tackle high, I don’t think it will be Wright that moves.

[dplank]

I would have no problems at all if we drafted a T high and moved Wright to G. Wright physically looks like he belongs out there so I think he will be a stalwart somewhere on the line, most likely at RT. He and Tev give us something that's hard to find - guys that can simply overpower any DL you put in front of them. That puts a defense on their heels. Adding a 3rd one could mean absolute dominance up front.

If they draft a tackle high, I don’t think it will be Wright that moves.

Not sure Jones has the build to play inside, he looks like a pure T to me.

[RichH55]

I would have no problems at all if we drafted a T high and moved Wright to G. Wright physically looks like he belongs out there so I think he will be a stalwart somewhere on the line, most likely at RT. He and Tev give us something that's hard to find - guys that can simply overpower any DL you put in front of them. That puts a defense on their heels. Adding a 3rd one could mean absolute dominance up front.

If they draft a tackle high, I don’t think it will be Wright that moves.

Disagree here. I don't think Jones is a "pure tackle" either mind you (that's not really a thing) - but Wright has enough issues that he'd be the one making the move (Mainly Foot Speed)

Generally the OL is a bit of a spectrum you move down - Starting at LT, then RT, then to Guard - So 9 times out of 10 if you have Two Tackles and only one is moving inside - it's typically (though not always) the Right Tackle

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Wright has some work to do. I want to see him finishing plays and go looking for work, not just standing around when his man disengages as if he's done his job and the play is over.

[TheWorldBreaker]

If they draft a tackle high, I don’t think it will be Wright that moves.

Disagree here. I don't think Jones is a "pure tackle" either mind you (that's not really a thing) - but Wright has enough issues that he'd be the one making the move (Mainly Foot Speed)

Generally the OL is a bit of a spectrum you move down - Starting at LT, then RT, then to Guard - So 9 times out of 10 if you have Two Tackles and only one is moving inside - it's typically (though not always) the Right Tackle

Wright is a better RT than Jones is a LT though.

[RichH55]

Disagree here. I don't think Jones is a "pure tackle" either mind you (that's not really a thing) - but Wright has enough issues that he'd be the one making the move (Mainly Foot Speed)

Generally the OL is a bit of a spectrum you move down - Starting at LT, then RT, then to Guard - So 9 times out of 10 if you have Two Tackles and only one is moving inside - it's typically (though not always) the Right Tackle

Wright is a better RT than Jones is a LT though.

Disagree. Jones rated pretty highly this year. Wright is just never gonna have the feet that Jones has.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Bears need to draft a G and a C in the first three rounds. Need a G to push Nate Davis next offseason. Need a C because the choices we have now are terrible. I'm not worried about either Jones or Wright. Teven Jenkins is a beast of a G, and if he only plays 12-14 games a year due to injury, that's still 12-14 games where you have one of the best OG in the league on your OL. Sign him to a long term deal.

[RichH55]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Bears need to draft a G and a C in the first three rounds. Need a G to push Nate Davis next offseason. Need a C because the choices we have now are terrible. I'm not worried about either Jones or Wright. Teven Jenkins is a beast of a G, and if he only plays 12-14 games a year due to injury, that's still 12-14 games where you have one of the best OG in the league on your OL. Sign him to a long term deal.

Unless its the year he misses the whole year - the 12 Game Seasons are the "healthy" ones thus far.

Maybe he's just been snakebit - but generally people don't get healthier as they get older playing the game

[RichH55]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Bears need to draft a G and a C in the first three rounds. Need a G to push Nate Davis next offseason. Need a C because the choices we have now are terrible. I'm not worried about either Jones or Wright. Teven Jenkins is a beast of a G, and if he only plays 12-14 games a year due to injury, that's still 12-14 games where you have one of the best OG in the league on your OL. Sign him to a long term deal.

I also am not sure you Need to draft both. Or even either (though again my preference is the Center from Georgia)

If you sign a solid FA Center - You should have your starting 5 OL. If they wind up drafting a Guard after that but not until like Round 5? That doesn't need to be the end of the world IMHO

[TheWorldBreaker]

Wright is a better RT than Jones is a LT though.

Disagree. Jones rated pretty highly this year. Wright is just never gonna have the feet that Jones has.

Jones still doesn’t have the adequate anchor strength to be a top tier left tackle and committed way too many penalties.

As a rookie Wright got beaten a few times but he also stonewalled elite pass rushers.

[dplank]

Disagree. Jones rated pretty highly this year. Wright is just never gonna have the feet that Jones has.

Jones still doesn’t have the adequate anchor strength to be a top tier left tackle and committed way too many penalties.

As a rookie Wright got beaten a few times but he also stonewalled elite pass rushers.

Wright had more gaffes but held up stronger man on man, Jones still gives up too much ground even when he “wins” a rep. This game still comes down to who can push who around, Wright is that guy. He will be really good next year IMO.

[Teddy KGB]

If it were me, you need a veteran center (NOT Patrick) from Free Agency and then draft a center high (first 3 rounds) to learn behind them. You keep Jenkins as LG, and you trial balloon Wright over to LT and switch Jones to RT. You pick up a guard in the draft whom you think can push Nate Davis eventually to start.

I don't know much about Joe Alt in this draft, but I know Fanashu struggled against top prospects, which makes me too nervous to take him as the LT of the future.
Wright was inconsistent this year, but plenty of times he more than held his own against the best rusher on the other team, which is why I want to try him at LT.

Jones's anchor still isn't good enough (wow, did I get people yelling at me for saying this his rookie year and this past offseason, but I was still right!), and I see him more of a swing tackle on a playoff team - hence the other reason why I switch Jones and Wright, to develop both, and if it doesn't work out, I know I can switch them back and the tackle spots will at least be at a certain level of ok.

All in all, we need a vet center and one in the pipeline, a guard that can eventually be better than Davis, and we might have our LT on the team already if he can make that switch, which makes life easier, because then going into 2025, you just need to find a good RT and the line is done.

[ramentaschen]

I was curious about how the Bears ranked as far as allowed sacks for 2023

....turns out, we were pretty bad:

TEAM YEAR G SACKS CMP ATT PCT YARDS AVG Y/GAME TD TD% INT INT% SKCY RATE

New York Giants 2023 17 85 338 518 65.3 3,351 6.5 197.1 15 2.9 12 2.3 465 83.4
Washington Comma 2023 17 65 407 636 64.0 4,174 6.6 245.5 24 3.8 21 3.3 449 81.6
Carolina Panthers 2023 17 65 350 586 59.7 3,245 5.5 190.9 13 2.2 10 1.7 504 75.2
New York Jets 2023 17 64 356 601 59.2 3,373 5.6 198.4 11 1.8 15 2.5 454 70.5
Tennessee Titans 2023 17 64 304 494 61.5 3,512 7.1 206.6 14 2.8 11 2.2 445 83.2
Denver Broncos 2023 17 52 337 513 65.7 3,566 7.0 209.8 28 5.5 9 1.8 304 96.7
Chicago Bears 2023 17 50 321 513 62.6 3,421 6.7 201.2 19 3.7 15 2.9 325 82.2
Cincinnati Bengals 2023 17 50 420 615 68.3 4,257 6.9 250.4 27 4.4 14 2.3 362 93.0
New England Patriots 2023 17 48 351 557 63.0 3,392 6.1 199.5 16 2.9 21 3.8 323 73.8
Minnesota Vikings 2023 17 47 424 631 67.2 4,700 7.4 276.5 30 4.8 19 3.0 341 92.4
Houston Texans 2023 17 47 372 592 62.8 4,578 7.7 269.3 27 4.6 8 1.4 405 96.2
Cleveland Browns 2023 17 45 355 624 56.9 4,011 6.4 235.9 24 3.8 23 3.7 318 73.7
Los Angeles Chargers 2023 17 43 409 632 64.7 4,312 6.8 253.6 24 3.8 8 1.3 355 91.8
Arizona Cardinals 2023 17 42 355 555 64.0 3,430 6.2 201.8 18 3.2 12 2.2 286 82.9
Indianapolis Colts 2023 17 41 355 574 61.8 3,882 6.8 228.4 18 3.1 10 1.7 216 85.0
Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 17 41 412 620 66.5 4,377 7.1 257.5 22 3.5 14 2.3 251 89.3
Baltimore Ravens 2023 17 41 328 494 66.4 3,881 7.9 228.3 27 5.5 7 1.4 246 102.5
Las Vegas Raiders 2023 17 40 348 557 62.5 3,666 6.6 215.6 20 3.6 18 3.2 286 80.1
Dallas Cowboys 2023 17 40 428 614 69.7 4,660 7.6 274.1 36 5.9 10 1.6 263 104.6
Atlanta Falcons 2023 17 40 327 530 61.7 3,775 7.1 222.1 17 3.2 17 3.2 251 80.5
Tampa Bay Buccan 2023 17 40 364 568 64.1 4,044 7.1 237.9 28 4.9 10 1.8 232 94.2
Philadelphia Eagles 2023 17 39 369 563 65.5 4,067 7.2 239.2 24 4.3 16 2.8 233 89.2
Seattle Seahawks 2023 17 38 371 575 64.5 4,167 7.2 245.1 23 4.0 12 2.1 257 90.7
Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 17 36 323 506 63.8 3,421 6.8 201.2 13 2.6 9 1.8 258 84.6
New Orleans Saints 2023 17 35 406 606 67.0 4,225 7.0 248.5 28 4.6 11 1.8 235 94.8

[spudbear]

Bears need to draft a G and a C in the first three rounds. Need a G to push Nate Davis next offseason. Need a C because the choices we have now are terrible. I'm not worried about either Jones or Wright. Teven Jenkins is a beast of a G, and if he only plays 12-14 games a year due to injury, that's still 12-14 games where you have one of the best OG in the league on your OL. Sign him to a long term deal.

Unless its the year he misses the whole year - the 12 Game Seasons are the "healthy" ones thus far.

Maybe he's just been snakebit - but generally people don't get healthier as they get older playing the game

My impression is that Teven Jenkins had to grow up, both physically and mentally in his first two years. In college he was far superior physically to most of the other DL he faced. When he started to play in the NFL he found out that his opposition was his size and strength. He also had dreams of a big OT payday, so he kept to his idea of training and physical regimen.

With the back issues not getting any better and looking at the possibility of getting let go by the team, he accepted things like pilates and other techniques to strengthen his core and help his back. He also didn't complain about playing OG. We didn't hear about the back issues in his third season, but he lost some time to a freaky leg injury and concussion that could happen to any OL. I hope the last game of the season helped his maturity level and reminded him of bringing his A game every time he walks on the field.

[HurricaneBear]

Unless its the year he misses the whole year - the 12 Game Seasons are the "healthy" ones thus far.

Maybe he's just been snakebit - but generally people don't get healthier as they get older playing the game

My impression is that Teven Jenkins had to grow up, both physically and mentally in his first two years. In college he was far superior physically to most of the other DL he faced. When he started to play in the NFL he found out that his opposition was his size and strength. He also had dreams of a big OT payday, so he kept to his idea of training and physical regimen.

With the back issues not getting any better and looking at the possibility of getting let go by the team, he accepted things like pilates and other techniques to strengthen his core and help his back. He also didn't complain about playing OG. We didn't hear about the back issues in his third season, but he lost some time to a freaky leg injury and concussion that could happen to any OL. I hope the last game of the season helped his maturity level and reminded him of bringing his A game every time he walks on the field.

I agree. He seems like a very immature, and immensely talented, kid. They should work with him and extend him as he is far from this teams problem.

[UOK]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Agreed. I'm willing to give Nate next year to redeem himself, but they should by no means go into next season anticipating getting more than 5 or 6 starts from him.

Interior offensive line depth, especially at Center, is paramount. You can't scrape bottom going into next season with offensive line depth. Invest in the positions. Hell, over-invest in them.

[HurricaneBear]

Nate Davis had enough going on his personal life that I can't imagine he's not penciled in as the starter. It will totally be spun as off field issues effected him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as everyone handles death differently.

They should still draft a guard.

Agreed. I'm willing to give Nate next year to redeem himself, but they should by no means go into next season anticipating getting more than 5 or 6 starts from him.

Interior offensive line depth, especially at Center, is paramount. You can't scrape bottom going into next season with offensive line depth. Invest in the positions. Hell, over-invest in them.

Absolutely! In hoping they draft a center and another oline(wouldn't be opposed to 2 more) and I hope they sign a veteran that hasn't played for the Bears before to be the starting center. They need to make this offensive line the strength of the team.