Tag: Cody Whitehair

What the Bears’ offensive line is expected to look like vs. Raiders

With Nate Davis sidelined and Cody Whitehair’s snapping struggles, what can we expect the Bears offensive line to look like vs. Raiders?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Chicago Bears are going to have yet another starting offensive line combination — and we’re only in Week 7.

With right guard Nate Davis sidelined with an ankle injury and center Cody Whitehair’s struggles with snaps, there was bound to be some change ahead of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders

So what can we expect the starting offensive line to look like Sunday?

According to The Athletic‘s Adam Jahns, Whitehair will in fact be in the lineup, and there’s plenty of shuffling along the interior. The tackle situation remains the same with Larry Borom at left tackle (in place of an injured Braxton Jones) and Darnell Wright at right tackle.

But the interior is where things get interesting: Lucas Patrick will be at center with Whitehair at left guard and Teven Jenkins moving to right guard as a result.

At this point, it’s become clear that Whitehair could be on his way out after this season. He’s struggled — both at left guard and center — and general manager Ryan Poles needs to shore up multiple positions along the offensive line this offseason.

But, for whatever reason, head coach Matt Eberflus is electing not to stick with benching Whitehair — which is exactly what he did last Sunday after his snapping issues. You’d think Chicago would like to get a look at second-year pro Ja’Tyre Carter, who’s shown promise at right guard, and not force Jenkins to move from his left guard spot just to make room for Whitehair.

This lineup could certainly change ahead of Sunday’s kickoff against the Raiders. But, at least right now, it doesn’t seem ideal.

Bears OL Cody Whitehair addresses snapping issues after apparent benching

Cody Whitehair’s snapping was an issue in the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Vikings. The eight-year veteran addressed those struggles.

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.

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.”

8 takeaways from the Bears’ familiar loss to the Vikings

The Bears are who we thought they were after the 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Here were our takeaways from the game.

It’s back to reality for the 2023 Chicago Bears. After an exciting victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 5, the Bears followed it up with a stinker on the lakefront, losing 19-13 to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 1-5.

Chicago had 10 days to prepare for their divisional opponent, but apparently that wasn’t enough time to recognize Minnesota’s numerous blitz packages that thwarted the offense on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Justin Fields had a rough outing, completing just 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards and an interception before exiting the game with a dislocated thumb.

Backup undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent entered in relief and didn’t fare much better, committing two turnovers that thwarted any sort of comeback. The offense totaled just 275 yards and failed to capitalize when they had excellent field position, which they had often thanks to a strong defensive performance.

The Bears defense contained the Vikings offense for much of the day. Minnesota scored 12 offensive points, totaled 220 yards, and converted just 2-of-13 third-down conversions. With a (mostly) healthy secondary back and improved play from the linebackers, the defense played well enough for the team to win. That wasn’t the case, though, and now the Bears have to navigate an uncertain immediate future with key injuries sidelining players such as Fields.

Here were our takeaways from Sunday’s all-too-familiar loss.

Bears HC Matt Eberflus explained what went into change at center vs. Vikings

Lucas Patrick replaced Cody Whitehair at center in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 19-13 loss to the Vikings. Matt Eberflus explained why:

The Chicago Bears offensive line had a disastrous outing against the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s 19-13 loss on Sunday. And there was one player in particular who noticeably struggled: center Cody Whitehair.

Whitehair struggled with snaps throughout the game, but he was replaced by Lucas Patrick in the fourth quarter. The assumption was the move was made based on performance, and this wasn’t the first time Whitehair had struggled with snaps — even last week when he stepped up in place of an injured Patrick.

Eberflus explained what went into the decision to replace Whitehair with Patrick at the end of the game, especially as it related to undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, who replaced injured starter Justin Fields.

“Lucas obviously was going through concussion protocol during the week and when Justin went out and we had Tyson in there we thought it was best for our team to have the guy that had more experience in there playing center,” Eberflus said. “That’s that position that we have that Lucas has played for a long time. He has a lot of experience in there. We thought that would settle Bagent down little bit.”

Sure. But it also wasn’t because Whitehair was struggling with snaps throughout the game?

“No. It was just more about settling down and putting the guy that had more experience at center,” Eberflus said. “We feel good about both guys. And obviously we’ve switched guys around during the course of the year, guard, center. We are going to have to continue to do that based on where Nate (Davis) is. We’ll see. But we like our flexibility in there.”

With right guard Nate Davis sidelined with an ankle injury, there will be more shuffling along the offensive line heading into Week 7. The Bears could certainly elect to slide Patrick into that right guard spot and roll with Whitehair at center.

Bears designate G Teven Jenkins to return to practice this week

There’s finally some good news out of Halas Hall as Teven Jenkins is coming back to practice this week.

It’s been a bad few weeks for the Chicago Bears for a number of reasons, but there was finally some good news to come out of Halas Hall on Monday. According to Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, the team has designated guard Teven Jenkins to return to practice this week.

Jenkins has been out for the last month and a half due to a lower leg injury suffered during training camp. He went on injured reserve and missed the first four games, but now he is ready to come back and give the line reinforcements after a rough start to the season. Jenkins is set to play a new position for the third time in three years, having moved over to left guard this offseason following the signing of veteran guard Nate Davis. Previously, he played right guard in 2022 and left tackle in 2021.

The Bears have a short week, with a game against the Washington Commanders coming up on Thursday, so it’s unclear if Jenkins will be activated off injured reserve to play in the game. There is a 21-day window to to put him back on the active roster. If and when that happens, he’ll slot in as the left guard and likely push Cody Whitehair back to center, with Lucas Patrick heading to the bench. Both players have struggled at various points this season, making Jenkins’ return that much more impactful.

Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who’s up and who’s down entering Week 3?

Here are the Bears players who raised and lowered their stock this week.

The collective stock of the Chicago Bears is in the toilet this week after another frustrating loss leaves them at 0-2 to start the year. The Bears couldn’t stop Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, losing 27-17 with very few answers on either side of the ball.

Despite playing a closer game on the road, the Bears are still looking for those standout performers to make themselves known on a consistent basis. Some players did exceed expectations last Sunday, while others were put through the ringer.

Here is our Chicago Bears Stock Exchange heading into Week 3 of the season.

Bears offensive line could factor into whether Justin Fields plays in preseason finale

The Bears offensive line is banged up, which could factor into whether or not Justin Fields plays against the Bills.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, where the biggest question is whether starters will see the field after resting last week.

Head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters Tuesday that he hasn’t decided who will play in Saturday’s preseason finale at Soldier Field.

“That will be evaluated throughout the course of the week,” Eberflus said. “We’re looking at practice, we’re looking at each individual’s health, we’re looking at each unit’s health, we’re looking at everything from all those factors that factor into it, and we’ll decide here in a couple days when we have our personnel meeting to discuss personnel—who is going to play and how much and when for the game.”

One of the factors that could determine whether Fields plays is the status of the offensive line. The Bears have been ravaged by injuries, especially along the offensive line. Teven Jenkins is out for the foreseeable future, and there have been several starters or key reserves sidelined.

Now, rookie right tackle Darnell Wright is dealing with an apparent ankle injury. With the onus on protecting Fields, that’s not an ideal situation in a meaningless preseason game.

“There’s no question that will be looked at,” Eberflus said. “You’ve always got to look at the combinations and the health of the offensive linemen when you’re talking about the quarterback. That will all be looked at and we’ll see where it is.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=103]

What the Bears offensive line looked like without Teven Jenkins

Here’s what the Bears’ starting offensive line looked like during Monday’s practice with Teven Jenkins sidelined.

It sounds like the Chicago Bears will be without left guard Teven Jenkins for a significant period as he deals with what Adam Schefter describes as a calf strain in both legs.

Monday’s practice provided a glimpse of what the Bears’ offensive line might look like heading into the regular season without Jenkins. Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick were back at practice, and they both factored into the equation.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Whitehair shifted from center to left guard while Patrick stepped in at center. It’s a combination that doesn’t come as a surprise. Whitehair started at left guard last season while Patrick was brought in last offseason to serve as center, although he only saw a few snaps before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 7.

With Jenkins healthy, Patrick is the primary reserve along the interior of the offensive line. The thought was Patrick would step in for Jenkins at left guard, which would allow Whitehair to remain at center, giving quarterback Justin Fields some continuity. But it sounds like Whitehair and Patrick are going back to their roots.

We’ll see if the Bears try out another offensive line combination. But it sounds like this could be the starting offensive line heading into the regular season, without Jenkins.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=103]

Bears C Cody Whitehair suffers apparent hand injury at camp practice

The Bears center appears to be done practicing for the day.

It looks like the Chicago Bears will be without their starting center for the final joint training camp practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Shortly after the two teams began drills on Thursday, center Cody Whitehair left the field with trainers with an apparent hand injury via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. The injury appears to be on his right hand, the one he uses to snap the ball.

Shortly after leaving the field, Adam Jahns of The Athletic spotted Whitehair back on the sidelines, but believes the veteran’s day is done. With Lucas Patrick still not practicing, second-year center Doug Kramer is filling in on the first-team offensive line.

With Whitehair out, Kramer will likely get the remaining practice reps with the first-team offense. Kramer was selected by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft but missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury.

The center position has been under the microscope over the last year. After moving on from Sam Mustipher, the Bears opted to shift Whitehair back to center this offseason. The longest-tenured Bear has spent the last few seasons at guard, but is working to develop a rapport with quarterback Justin Fields this spring and summer ahead of his eighth season in the league.

It’s unclear if Whitehair will need to miss time with this injury but he could miss the team’s next preseason game against the Colts this Saturday at 6 pm CT. Stay tuned to Bears Wire as more information becomes available.

Winners and losers following first week of Bears training camp

After seven days of Bears training camp practices, here are our winners and losers up to this point.

Seven training camp practices have come and gone for the Chicago Bears up at Halas Hall and things are starting to fall in place at certain positions. There’s been some good, some bad, and even a little ugly at certain points depending on your perspective. But it’s all with a goal to grow as a team and prepare for the 2023 regular season that lies ahead.

Over the course of those seven practices, specific players have risen to the top and shined at crucial moments. Others, however, haven’t had the camp many envisioned they would up to this point.

It’s still early, but it’s clear some are in better spots than others. Here are the winners and losers of the first week of Bears training camp