Packers: Which NFC North team has the best offensive line?
By John Dales
Chicago Bears
Projected starters: Charles Leno, James Daniels, Cody Whitehair, Kyle Long, Bobby Massie
*in the two categories below, having a grade closest to 100 is best and a position rank closest to 1 is best. Both values come from Pro Football Focus.
Charles Leno: 80.4 PFF grade in 2017; No. 15 position ranking
James Daniels: N/A grade; N/A ranking
Cody Whitehair: 74.2 grade; No. 11 ranking
Kyle Long: 73 grade; No. 28 ranking
Bobby Massie: 69.9 grade; No. 39 ranking
The Bears went 5-11 last season, but this record was not an accurate reflection of their O-line play. In fact, Chicago’s offensive line was one of the strongest aspects of their 2017 team.
This past spring, Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 offensive lines from the previous season. The Bears’ line was ranked 11th in that list despite being plagued by injuries for the majority of the season.
However, the Bears lost one of their best lineman this offseason when they decided to decline the option on Josh Sitton‘s contract.
Nevertheless, the front office in Chicago believe they’ve got a capable replacement for Sitton in rookie James Daniels. Daniels was a second-round pick in this year’s draft, and he primarily played center while in college at the University of Iowa.
A transition to guard shouldn’t be a problem for Daniels. In the past, the Bears have shown the ability to effectively switch a player’s position. Their starting center Cody Whitehair was originally a guard.
Whitehair was one of the best linemen for the Bears, only allowing one sack, and 26 quarterback pressures. Starting guard Kyle Long didn’t give up any sacks in the 10 games he saw action in.
Long has proven to be a great player when he can fend off injuries, and both Massie and Leno have been adequate but not much more. Daniels is one of their only question marks going forward.
All in all, the Bears should still have a relatively strong O-line in 2018 despite parting ways with Sitton.