Bears Lose Promising Former 6th-Round Pick to Cardinals

Getty Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus will not see second-year center Doug Kramer Jr. return on their practice squad.

When the Chicago Bears waived center Doug Kramer Jr. over the weekend, some thought the 2022 sixth-round pick might make it back to the practice squad. Instead, the Arizona Cardinals are adding him to their active roster.

According to the NFL’s official transaction wire for November 6, the Cardinals claimed Kramer off the waivers from the Bears on Monday after Chicago jettisoned him from its 53-man roster on Saturday heading into Week 9’s game with the New Orleans Saints.

The Bears had waived Kramer to create room for starting left tackle Braxton Jones to rejoin the active roster from injured reserve, but the move was still slightly surprising. Kramer looked promising in the preseason, allowing just a single pressure over 55 pass-blocking snaps and finishing as Pro Football Focus’ second-highest-graded center (81.0). The Bears had also just activated him from injured reserve on October 21.

Now, Kramer will join the Cardinals (1-8) and compete for playing time with Hjalte Froholdt, the only other center who finished with a higher preseason grade than him. It is possible he could have an opportunity to start if the Cardinals’ other injuries on the line force them to move Froholdt to one of the other spots on their interior.

Center Problems Persist for Bears Through 9 Games

Kramer struggled with injuries over his short 18 months with the Bears and only played two regular-season snaps in all that time, but Chicago’s current uncertainty at the center position still makes his departure a bit of a head-scratcher.

The Bears have experienced seasonlong problems with their offensive line, but no position has been more disappointing than center. Injuries have continually upended their efforts to make Cody Whitehair their starting center and forced them to play him at guard as their best relief option for Teven Jenkins (until Week 5) and Nate Davis. As a result, Lucas Patrick has been their starter for the majority of the 2023 season.

Through nine games, Patrick is PFF’s lowest-graded center (44.1) in the league among 30 others who have played at least 50% of snaps this season. And while he has not technically allowed a sack, he has given up the second-most quarterback hurries (13) and committed the most penalties (seven). Patrick has also struggled against the run and with the precision of his snaps in general, compounding his poor performances.

Unfortunately, the solution might not be as simple as replacing Patrick with Whitehair. In several respects, Whitehair actually played worse than Patrick during his two starts at center in Weeks 5 and 6. The Bears might still prefer to give the job back to him once everyone is healthy again, but there are reasons to be concerned with both options.

Bears May Make Center a Priority in 2024 Offseason

The Bears could have pulled the trigger on a new center coming into the 2023 season. Even after they soft-committed to making Whitehair their center in the spring, they had an opportunity to draft John Michael Schmitz out of Minnesota when they traded up in the second round. Instead, they took cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and watched the New York Giants take Schmitz with the next pick at No. 57 overall.

Given how awful things have been for the Bears at center in 2023, though, it seems obvious that their 2024 starting center is not currently on their 53-man roster.

The Bears are likely not going to re-sign Patrick when his contract expires next March after how inconsistent he has been. It also appears likely that Whitehair will become a cap casualty for them given his regression and the fact that cutting him would save the Bears between $9.15 million and $10.25 million, depending on when they cut him.

Fortunately, Chicago will have opportunities to find a new starter in both free agency and the 2024 NFL draft. If Miami does not re-sign Connor Williams, he could be an ideal veteran option as a 27-year-old with versatility and good play on his record. They could also have a shot at one of the better centers in the 2024 draft class if they trade back up into the second round to get one, such as Georiga’s Sedrick Van Pran.