Tag: Alex Bars

Bears place RT Bobby Massie on IR, promote OT Lachavious Simmons to active roster

It’s been a busy news day for the Chicago Bears in regards to their offensive line. And none of it is encouraging.

It’s been a busy news day for the Chicago Bears in regards to their offensive line. And none of it is encouraging.

The Bears have placed right guard Germain Ifedi and right tackle Jason Spriggs on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This after Spriggs tested positive for COVID, and Ifedi was ruled to be in close contact, according to Ian Rapoport.

Chicago also placed right tackle Bobby Massie on injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury that’s expected to keep him out at least a month. Massie will miss the next three games against the Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers before he’s eligible to return on Dec. 6 against the Detroit Lions.

The Bears made several moves in response to both events, promoting seventh-round rookie offensive tackle Lachavious Simmons to the 53-man roster and signing Aaron Neary to the practice squad.

The Bears offensive line is going to look quite different when they face the Titans on Sunday, depending on Cody Whitehair’s availability. Whitehair is recovering from a calf injury that Matt Nagy didn’t expect to keep him out long-term.

Here’s what the offensive line could look like without Whitehair on Sunday.

LT Charles Leno Jr.
LG Alex Bars
C Sam Mustipher
RG Arlington Hambright
RT Rashaad Coward

The Bears are down three starting offensive linemen and three of Sunday’s presumed starters have one game or none of experience. Not exactly encouraging for Week 9 against the Titans.

Manti Te’o signs with Chicago Bears

After getting a workout with them last week, Manti Te’o has inked a deal to join the Chicago Bears. Details here.

One of the most decorated players in the long history of Notre Dame football has inked a new deal with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday as Manti Te’o signed with their practice squad.

The former Notre Dame standout and Heisman Trophy runner-up helped lead the Fighting Irish to a BCS Championship Game appearance in 2012 while racking up countless other awards that season.

Te’o went on to be drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and played four seasons there before spending parts of the last three seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

Te’o has been credited with 307 tackles in his NFL career with a career high 83 coming in 2015.  He has also pulled down a pair of interceptions at the professional level.

Te’o joins Alex Bars, Cole Kmet and Sam Mustipher as former Notre Dame players currently on the Bears roster.

Bears final injury report: Deon Bush ruled out, Brent Urban questionable vs. Panthers

There are some injury designations to keep an eye on as the Bears prepare for their Week 6 game against the Panthers.

The Chicago Bears have released their final injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and there’s some designations to keep an eye on heading into Week 6.

The Bears have ruled out Safety Deon Bush for Sunday, as he continues to battle a hamstring injury. He missed last week’s contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well.

Chicago has also listed for four players as questionable against the Panthers, including some players at some key positions. Defensive end Brent Urban, who has been a key contributor on the defensive line, is questionable following limited participation in practice throughout the week.

The Bears also activated defensive tackle John Jenkins off injured reserve, where he served the previous three weeks with a thumb injury. Jenkins has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Offensive lineman Alex Bars, who filled in at left guard for an injured James Daniels last Thursday, has also been designated as questionable with a shoulder injury. He was a full participant in Thursday and Friday’s practices.

Matt Nagy says he hasn’t decided who will start at left guard for the Bears on Sunday. But it’ll come down to Bars and Rashaad Coward.

Special teams ace and defensive back Sherrick McManis has also been listed as questionable against the Panthers. He’s recovering from a hamstring injury that’s held him out of the last two games.

 

 

Chicago Bears injury opens door for pair of former Notre Dame linemen

An injury on the Chicago Bears offensive line has opened the door for not one but two former Notre Dame offensive linemen. Details here.

Neither Alex Bars or Sam Mustipher were drafted by an NFL team when their Notre Dame careers ended after the 2018 season, but both wound up inking free agent deals with the Chicago Bears.

Bars wound up getting promoted to the Bears active roster late last season while Mustipher remained on the practice squad.

Due to an unfortunate injury to Bears lineman and former second round pick James Daniels that was sustained this past Thursday, now Bars moves up to replace the void on the offensive line left by Daniels and Mustipher gets promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.

If it seems like an oddity that both wound up signing free agent deals with the Bears remember that at the time, former Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand was coaching the Bears offensive line and had the obvious connections to both Bars and Mustipher.

All the best to both in the blue and orange.

Report: Bears LG James Daniels out for the season with torn pec

The Bears beat the Bucs 20-19, but the win didn’t come without a cost. LG James Daniels has suffered a torn pec and will miss the season.

The Chicago Bears were able to secure the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, but they loss a key member of the offensive line due to an injury.

Bears left guard James Daniels left the game early in the 20-19 victory over the Bucs, and it was feared that it could be season-ending. The MRI revealed that Daniels season will be cut short due to a torn pectoral.

Daniels played every offensive snap for the Bears last year and hasn’t missed a start since midway his rookie season.

Undrafted free agent Alex Bars took over for Daniels. The Notre Dame product played 32 snaps for the Bears and Pro Football Focus gave Bars a grade of 49.4, almost 20 points lower than Daniels’ grade on the season.

Daniels was also the backup center to Cody Whitehair, so it looks like the Bears will have to make a roster move to give the offensive line some depth. The 23-year old was having a solid season, but now the Bears offensive line takes a huge hit and has to recover from their loss.

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Offensive line

The Bears return four of five starters on their offensive line heading into 2020. Let’s take a look at the unit heading into training camp.

The Chicago Bears will report to training camp on July 28 and one unit to keep an eye on is the offensive lineman. This offseason the Bears didn’t heavily invest into their offensive line that was ranked 29th in run blocking and 21st in pass protection.

The Bears also saw their long time offensive guard Kyle Long retire this offseason and looked into bottom tier free agents and late 2020 draft picks do fill some void and bring competition.

Let’s take a look at the offensive line heading into training camp.

Cody Whitehair

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

After switching from center to left guard before the start of the 2019 season, Whitehair saw himself playing center in the second half of the season. Entering his fifth year, Whitehair is confident that he’ll be playing center for the 2020 season, where he feels comfortable.

In 2018 Whitehair was very comfortable in playing center as he earned his only Pro Bowl selection so far through his career.

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B/R believes Bears should target proven option at guard in Josh Kline

Ahead of the NFL Draft, the Bears could scour the remaining free agent market and add a quality veteran like OG Josh Kline.

With the 2020 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, the Chicago Bears are gearing up for what’s an important draft for general manager Ryan Pace.

Considering the Bears have just two picks in the first four rounds — both second rounders at 43 and 50 — Pace needs to make those two count. And with no shortage of roster needs, Pace has his work cut out for him.

But before the NFL Draft kicks off April 23, Bleacher Report has scoured the remaining free agent market, and they’ve pinpointed one player that each team should sign. For the Bears, that’s offensive guard Josh Kline.

Chicago figures to target a guard at some point in the draft, but it should add more veteran insurance beforehand. The Bears took a flier on Germain Ifedi in free agency, but he struggled to establish himself as a reliable starter throughout his four-year tenure with the Seattle Seahawks.

Josh Kline, on the other hand, has been a consistent starter for the past five seasons. Though he would represent a step down from a fully healthy Long, Kline would at least give Chicago a proven option.

Following Kyle Long’s retirement, the Bears have a starting right guard job up for grabs. Right now, it figures to be a three-way race between newcomer Germain Ifedi, Alex Bars and Rashaad Coward. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Pace targets an interior offensive lineman in the NFL Draft later this month.

If the Bears wanted to add a proven veteran to the mix, Kline, a five-year starter, would be a good fit. While Chicago is also in need of a starting guard, they’re also searching for depth on the offensive line. Even if Kline didn’t win the starting job, he’d be good depth for the Bears at a position that had its share of injuries in 2019.

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Offensive line dubbed Bears’ biggest red flag heading into NFL Draft

Heading into the NFL Draft, there are no shortage of issues for the Bears on offense. But offensive line might be the biggest need.

When you have one of the NFL’s worst offenses, there’s not just one position that’s plaguing your team. As was the case for the Chicago Bears last season, who saw questionable play from quarterback, tight ends, offensive line and even play caller.

The Bears haven’t ignored those offensive flaws this offseason, as they’ve signed tight end Jimmy Graham and offensive lineman Germain Ifedi, as well as traded for Nick Foles. They even brought in four new offensive coaches that specialize in the areas of concern on offense.

But general manager Ryan Pace isn’t done, and he faces an incredibly important NFL Draft this month, once again without a first-round pick. But Pace does have a pair of second rounders, and there are no shortage of needs on offense — or even defense.

As for what is the Bears’ biggest issue headed into the NFL Draft, Bleacher Report believes that the offensive line needs to be addressed.

However, if the Bears are going to engineer a turnaround in 2020 under either Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles, something needs to be done about an offensive line that took a substantial step backward in 2019.

In 2018, the Bears struggled in run blocking (28th per Football Outsiders) but had a top-10 line in pass protection. A year ago, the pass pro also dropped way off—from seventh in 2018 to 21st in 2019.

While the Bears did add Ifedi, who’s expected to compete with Alex Bars and Rashaad Coward for the vacant starting right guard job, Chicago’s offensive line woes run deeper than guard.

Ultimately the Bears are financially strapped to their tackles for at least another season — with Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie owed big pay days. But it wouldn’t hurt for Pace to look for a tackle for the future on an offensive line that had its share of issues last season.

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Germain Ifedi will compete for starting right guard job

The Bears see newly-acquired OL Germain Ifedi competing for the starting right guard job with Alex Bars and Rashaad Coward.

The Chicago Bears’ offensive line issues are well-documented. And it’s a unit that, after a strong 2018 campaign, faltered last season.

Couple that with veteran Kyle Long’s retirement, and there’s now a vacancy at right guard that the Bears are looking to fill.

They’re hoping that newly-acquired offensive lineman Germain Ifedi is the answer. Chicago signed the former first-round pick, who was a four-year starter with the Seattle Seahawks, to a low-risk, high-reward one-year deal where the hope is he can grow into a long-term starter on the Bears’ offensive line.

While Ifedi has served as a right tackle for the Seahawks over the past three seasons, he does have experience at right guard, which is where he played in his rookie season.

But Ifedi won’t just be handed the starting role. As is the theme for this year for Matt Nagy and the Bears, there will be competition at multiple positions this offseason. Right guard among them.

Ifedi will compete with Alex Bars, Rashaad Coward and presumably a rookie that the Bears could target in the NFL Draft later this month.

The Bears have plenty of issues to fix on offense this offseason, offensive line among them. While finding the starting right guard won’t magically cure the rest of the unit’s struggles, Chicago is banking on the addition of offensive line coach Juan Castillo to right the ship.

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Guard remains one of biggest offseason needs for Bears

The Bears offense was embarrassingly bad in 2019, although it was difficult to place the blame on one position. But OL remains a big need.

The Chicago Bears had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. And that’s not hyperbole.

They ranked near the bottom of most statistical categories and were embarrassingly bad at times in 2019. (Remember that time they had nine total yards of offense in one half of football against the Philadelphia Eagles?)

But when it comes to fixing the offense, unfortunately you can’t pinpoint one specific position that, if fixed, would flip a switch in the unit. Quarterback, tight end, offensive line, play caller. You name it, there was blame to go around.

Righting the ship on offense has been a focal point of this offseason for the Bears, which has included four new offensive coaches — offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone — that are experts at the positions that snake-bit the Bears offense in 2019.

General manager Ryan Pace has also been active in free agency, bringing in tight ends Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris, as well as trading for quarterback Nick Foles and signing former first-round guard Germain Ifedi. But there’s still plenty of work to be done on offense, especially heading into the late wave of free agency and the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.

Like many, Bleacher Report believes offensive line — specifically, guard –remains the Bears’ biggest need late in free agency. Following Kyle Long’s retirement, Chicago has a gaping hole at the right guard position.

This leaves guard as a major position of need, though it already has been one over the last couple of years—Long played just 12 games in that span. The Bears experimented with shifting Cody Whitehair from center to guard but moved him back after center James Daniels struggled to replace him.

This is arguably the only significant question mark on Chicago’s offense aside from the quarterback position. The Bears potentially addressed that, however, by trading for Nick Foles. While Foles won’t be handed the starting job, he’ll have a chance to snatch it away from incumbent Mitchell Trubisky.

There are no shortage of questions on Chicago’s offensive line, including both tackle spots, but the Bears are financially stuck with Charles Leno and Bobby Massie through 2020.

What the Bears don’t have, currently, is a starting right guard, although there are two players currently on the roster expected to compete for that starting spot in newly-acquired Ifedi and highly-touted undrafted free agent Alex Bars.

Chicago is also expected to address the offensive line in the 2020 NFL Draft. While the Bears don’t know who their starting quarterback is just yet between Mitchell Trubisky and Foles, it won’t matter if other issues, like offensive line, aren’t addressed.

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