Bears offensive lineman Cody Whitehair struggled snapping the ball in last Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. It even got to the point where he was seemingly benched in favor of Lucas Patrick, who had started the previous five games at center this season.
Whitehair addressed his snapping issues Wednesday at Halas Hall, where he was asked about whether he just had the yips. But the eight-year veteran took ownership and vowed to keep working on it.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Whitehair said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I’ve just gotta keep working on it and make sure I master that and make sure it’s not an issue.”
It’s been a rough start to the season for Whitehair, where his struggles snapping the ball have just been the tip of the iceberg. Whitehair has allowed 12 pressures, four hits and two sacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Whitehair understands that he needs to clean some things up.
“I take a lot of pride in my work,” he said. “Any time things aren’t going your way, you’ve gotta dive in and dissect where you’re going wrong. That’s what I’m in right now. Obviously looking at tape and seeing how I can get better and trying to perfect it.”
Head coach Matt Eberflus was asked about whether Whitehair’s snapping issues were evident in practice or whether they were just an issue during games.
“It’s been a little bit during practice some, but again, that’s always an issue when you work through and change positions,” Eberflus said. “I think that when you have that, but again, it’s not been like been glaring, you know. There has been some of it. But again, we corrected it and made those adjustments. Again, it’s got to be better than what it was on Sunday.”
Interesting enough, Lucas Patrick, Dan Feeney and Doug Kramer took snaps at center during individual drills during Wednesday’s practice, according to various media in attendance. Whitehair did not.
Lucas Patrick, Dan Feeney and Doug Kramer took snaps at center during individual drills.
Cody Whitehair did not. pic.twitter.com/kwIrGgdKIr
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 18, 2023
That could be an indication that Whitehair will be moved to guard, which makes sense given the injury to right guard Nate Davis. It would likely be Whitehair and Teven Jenkins at guard and Patrick at center Sunday against the Raiders.
“I’m gonna do whatever my team needs, whether that be guard, whether that be center,” Whitehair said. “Like I said, I’m a team-first guy, and I’ll do whatever they ask.”