Bears 1st-and-10: Offensive line is biggest hurdle for GM Ryan Poles

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has a lot of work to do in the offseason — not only acquiring weapons for Justin Fields, but likely an overhaul of the defensive line. This rebuild almost needs a rebuild.

But the trickiest upgrade of them all is Poles’ baby — the offensive line. Upgrading a defensive line that has 8.5 combined sacks on a defense that ranks 30th in scoring and 31st against the run is obvious. Upgrading a receiving corps where Darnell Mooney’s modest 493 yards still leads the team despite missing the last three games is obvious.

But upgrading the offensive line involves some tougher decisions and some astute evaluation. While the Bears are 31st in the NFL in sacks allowed per pass play, they also lead the NFL in rushing (179.7 yards per game). Even excluding quarterback yards, the Bears are 10th in rushing.

Rookie Braxton Jones, who has played every snap this season at left tackle, looks like a potential foundation piece, but can he take the next step — a big one — in Year 2 at a position the Bears need an elite player? Cody Whitehair has been dependable, but is he breaking down at 30 after struggling with performance and injuries this season? Lucas Patrick, signed in the offseason to replace Sam Mustipher at center, never really got started this season and wasn’t very good when he played. Is he a keeper? Teven Jenkins arguably has been the Bears’ best offensive lineman this season and seems to have found a home at right guard. But with his history of back and neck issues, can Poles depend on him to start one full season, let alone several? Mustipher lost his starting center job to Patrick in the offseason and was benched at midseason, but he’s shown staying power, starting 39 of the Bears’ last 40 games — and has played better in the second half. Can he start on a contender? Alex Leatherwood is a 2021 first-round draft pick Poles rolled the dice on by picking up his rookie contract. He hasn’t panned out this season, but likely will be around in 2023, but in what role? Larry Borom, a 2021 fifth-round draft pick, started the first seven games at right tackle this season before going into concussion protocol and eventually lost his job to Riley Reiff. He started at left guard against the Bills, but in a rotation with Dieter Eiselen. A starter in Week 1, he could be a versatile swing player. Has Poles seen enough to know?

It’s on Poles to figure it out, and his background as an offensive lineman is presumed to be an advantage over Ryan Pace in developing a line that not only is good, but among the best in the NFL.

But so far, it’s hot-and-cold at best. And with rotations and injuries, the Bears’ line has lacked the continuity that can make an average line good and a good line elite.

The Bears have used eight different starting combinations on the offensive line. They’ve made line changes 42 times. No combination has played more than 130 consecutive snaps together this season out of 931 offensive snaps (Jones-Whitehair-Mustipher-Schofield-Reiff)– and that combination included two stop-gap veterans in Schofield and Reiff.

But it’s still Poles’ first season. So like just about every other facet of the rebuild, the offensive line is all about Year 2. And like every other facet of the rebuild, Poles will have to be lucky and good. No amount of salary cap space make that happen.

2. Did You Know? No Bears’ offensive line combination has played more than 149 snaps together this season — Jones-Patrick-Mustipher-Jenkins-Borom. That’s 149-of-931 offensive snaps — just 16.0%. For comparison, the Bengals’ starting offensive line played 96.7% of the offensive snaps together this season (945-of-1,041) before right tackle La’el Collins tore his ACL on Sunday against the Patriots.

3. With the Bears so close to meeting one low standard for progress in 2022 — Justin Fields establishing himself as the franchise quarterback and still be standing at the end — it’s tempting to sit Fields in the final two games.

But there’s merit to Matt Eberflus’ argument that there’s still developmental value to the final two games. And the Bears are facing the two worst defenses in the league, statistically — the Lions (32nd in total yards, 26th in sacks) and Vikings (31st in total yards, 23rd in sacks). Facing two playoff-contending teams with bad defenses seems worth the risk.

4. The Bears’ run defense dropped to 30th in the NFL after the Bills rushed for 254 yards on 31 carries (8.2 average) in their 35-13 victory over the Bears on Sunday.

That’s new territory for Eberflus, whose has been in the top-10 in rushing defense the past six seasons as defensive coordinator with the Colts (10th, second, seventh, eighth) and linebackers coach with the Cowboys (eighth, first).

We’ll never know if defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi would have made a difference had hs not failed his physical after coming to terms (three years, $40.5 million) with the Bears in free agency. Ogunjobi eventually signed with the Steelers (one-year, $8 million) — and the Steelers have improved from 32nd to sixth in run defense.

5. Even offensive lines can make a giant leap if you get the right guy. In 2017, the Colts allowed the most sacks in the NFL (56). They drafted guard Quenton Nelson sixth overall in 2018 — their only significant upgrade — and allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL (18).

It’s an extreme example — Nelson is a generational talent who is a three-time All-Pro player and five-time Pro Bowl player. But even to a lesser degree, one outstanding lineman can have a viral impact on an offensive line. But you have to identify the right guy — and get him. Not easy.

6. Bears wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert pushed back on the notion that the Bears’ overpaid for wide receiver Chase Claypool. The second-round pick they gave up was No. 43 overall at the time of the trade. It is now No. 33.

“It’s a good trade-off,” Tolbert said. “He’s a second-round pick (No. 49 overall in 2020) and he’s still young (24). So, ‘cost us a draft pick,’ you can say that. But would you draft a receiver that’s better than him in the second round next year? I don’t know. I don’t think so. So I think it’s a good, even swap.”

7. Early in the season, the Bears’ defense at least was better in the second half than the first. Through seven games the Bears allowed 35 points in the second half (5.0 average) — fourth in the NFL. It indicated the Bears were at least making effective halftime adjustments.

But since trading Robert Quinn in Week 8 and Roquan Smith in Week 9, the Bears don’t even have that to hang their hat on. In their last eight games, they’re allowing 16.0 points per game in the second half — tied for 30th in the NFL — after the Bills scored 29 second-half points Saturday.

8. Safety Jaquan Brisker’s team-high fourth sack is the Bears’ rebuilding season in a nutshell — a rookie safety with four sacks is a nice building block. But that those four sacks lead the Bears is a bit of an embarrassment. The Bears’ 18 sacks are the fewest in the NFL — and the defensive line has just 8.5 sacks combined. (The defensive line Eberflus left behind in Indianapolis has 37 sacks this year under Gus Bradley.)

9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith had 15 tackles in a 17-9 victory over the Falcons. In seven games with Smith, the Ravens are allowing an average of 12.7 points (second in the NFL), 284.4 yards (second) and 76.1 rushing yards (third).

10. Bear-ometer: 4-13 — at Lions (L); vs. Vikings (W).

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