Getty Bears veteran offensive lineman Cody Whitehair.
The Chicago Bears are steering away from their original plan for their offensive line in the first week of the 2023 season, keeping former Pro Bowler Cody Whitehair at left guard and tabbing Lucas Patrick as their starting center.
Patrick was somewhat unexpectedly listed as the Bears’ starting center in their Week 1 depth chart ahead of their September 10 home opener against the Green Bay Packers. While he has served as their backup center for most of training camp and slotted into the starter role when Teven Jenkins suffered his injury and Whitehair was forced to slide back over to left guard, the Bears were considered to have a few other options.
For starters, Whitehair indicated earlier in the week that his injury — which has him wearing a splint on his left pinky — would not preclude him from snapping duties if the Bears wanted him to play center against the Packers. The Bears had been planning on him being their starting center since early in the offseason, but his staying at left guard suggests they believe he is their best short-term replacement for Jenkins.
The Bears also traded to acquire veteran Dan Feeney from the Miami Dolphins before the 53-man cut deadline on August 30, giving up a 2024 sixth-round pick to add an experienced interior lineman who can play either guard or center. Feeney likely needs time to learn the offense and build chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields on snaps, but his arrival gave the Bears another option to consider when setting their lineup.
Instead, Patrick will finally get the chance to play the position the Bears originally signed him to play — against his former team, no less.
Lucas Patrick Played Extensive Center Snaps for Packers
Bears fans have been disenchanted with Patrick ever since his first season in Chicago ended with him on injured reserve after just seven games. He was originally intended to play center, but a preseason hand injury forced the Bears to play him at the left guard position for the first six games while he healed. Then, when he got his shot at center in Week 7, he made it just 10 snaps before going down with a season-ending toe injury.
With Patrick stepping up as their Day 1 starting center in 2023, though, there are reasons for optimism based on his previous performances with the Packers.
Patrick served as the Packers’ starting center for the majority of 2021, splitting his time between left guard and center for the first six games before taking over the role on a permanent basis in Week 7 after Josh Myers went down with an injury. He ended up starting 11 games at the spot down the stretch and, during that time, allowed just one sack and 14 pressures, which earned him the respect of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“Just the way that he battled — getting cut; being on the [roster] border many, many times; being in trade conversations; being down on himself and up and down confidence-wise; and then, starting for us at multiple positions and playing a big role for us at times last year,” Rodgers said when asked about Patrick ahead of their Week 2 clash in 2022. “Excellent teammate, great guy in the locker room, guy you love having on your team, total tough guy. And just an all-around good human being.”
Patrick, of course, will need to prove it with the Bears in his 2023 season debut, but the 30-year-old has enough good history at the position to suggest he can handle the role.
How Quickly Will Whitehair Move Back to Center?
While Patrick is getting the Week 1 nod as the starting center, it seems more likely than not that the Bears will move Whitehair back to the position later on in the season. How long will it take before Chicago is able to move back to their original alignment, though?
Unless Patrick plays his way off the field, it all depends on the health of Jenkins.
The Bears’ original plan for the interior of their offensive line was to have Jenkins move from right guard to left guard, then slide Whitehair back to his former center position while inserting free agent signing Nate Davis into the vacated right guard spot. That plan was upended, though, when Jenkins suffered calf strains in both of his legs and landed on injured reserve to begin the regular season.
The Bears have been outwardly optimistic that Jenkins will return when he is eligible for activation in Week 5, but any delay in that timeline (i.e. a setback for Jenkins) could force them to stick things out with their current alignment, even if the line struggles.
Should there be struggles, though, the Bears could also insert Feeney into the starting lineup whenever they are comfortable with his knowledge of the system. If Patrick does not live up as their starting center, they could either insert Feeney at the spot — where he started all 16 games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 — or move Whitehair back into the middle while letting Feeney take over for him at left guard.