Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears have a host of problems on offense, not the least of which is their inability to keep the quarterback upright or even snap him the football cleanly.
Aside from injuries, the middle of the offensive line has been a mess all season long. That starts with center Lucas Patrick. According to Pro Football Focus, Patrick has been among the worst players at his position this season, ranking 36th out of 39 centers who have seen enough snaps to qualify.
Patrick has been a below-average pass blocker (61.9 PFF player grade) and an abysmal run blocker (47.4 PFF player grade) across 290 snaps at the position. He has also struggled to efficiently snap the ball to quarterback Justin Fields, which comes with a host of problems including blown plays, lost yardage and turnover risk.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report suggested on Saturday, October 14, that Chicago bench Patrick for the remainder of the season.
“I don’t enjoy technologically kicking a man while he’s down, but Lucas Patrick — who’s in concussion protocol — has not been a solution for the Bears,” Kenyon wrote. “He struggled at guard last season and hasn’t played well at center in 2023. Cody Whitehair would be the replacement.”
Cody Whitehair Replaces Lucas Patrick on Bears O-Line, Benched Shortly After
GettyChicago Bears offensive lineman Cody Whitehair has been bad at every position he has played in 2023.
The biggest problem with Kenyon’s suggestion is that Whitehair is the best option to fill in for Patrick.
Patrick cleared concussion protocol after suffering the injury in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders. He had played nearly 100% of the Bears’ snaps at center prior to that game, though the injury knocked that number down to 34% during the contest against Washington.
Head coach Matt Eberflus benched Patrick for Whitehair against the Minnesota Vikings, which made things considerably worse. The following X video contains graphic video that may offend viewers opposed to horrendous offensive line play.
A compilation of bad snaps by the Bears’ Cs on Sunday. Six by Cody Whitehair (including 3 in a row before he got benched) and one by Lucas Patrick.
“A compilation of bad snaps by Bears’ [centers] on Sunday,” Matt Fries of Zone Coverage captioned the video he shared to X on October 16.” Six by Cody Whitehair (including 3 in a row before he got benched) and one by Lucas Patrick.”
Bears Have No Good Options on Roster to Fill Center Position
GettyOffensive lineman Lucas Patrick of the Chicago Bears.
Eberflus spoke about the team’s struggles from the center position following Chicago’s loss to the Vikings, which dropped the team to 1-5 on the season.
The problem is that even as the Bears have gotten healthier, specifically with the return of borderline-elite left guard Teven Jenkins from a couple of calf injuries, there are no good options to take over the center position.
Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick have been in the league since 2016. Here is a breakdown of how many snaps they each logged at center. If Eberflus is referring to this year and wanting someone who has more experience playing center in 2023, Patrick has the edge, but Whitehair…
“Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick have been in the league since 2016. Here is a breakdown of how many snaps they each logged at center,” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin posted to X on Sunday. “If Eberflus is referring to this year and wanting someone who has more experience playing center in 2023, Patrick has the edge. But Whitehair went into this season as the Bears’ starting center. He only switched to left guard due to injuries.”
Chicago has exactly two weeks remaining to pursue a center on an opposing roster before the NFL trade deadline. However, doing so at this point might be antithetical to what the Bears front office is trying to accomplish.
Eberflus is unquestionably on the hot seat and needs to turn things around this season if he hopes to keep his job. But Fields suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand Sunday and can’t currently grip a football. If the QB out for an extended period of time, Chicago’s chances of winning at all drop significantly.
The team is already five losses deep through six weeks and owns both its first-round pick and the first-round selection of the Carolina Panthers in the 2024 NFL Draft. As such, being bad could be incredibly good for the Bears if it means two of the top two or three picks next April.