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The Chicago Bears are still planning to let veterans Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick battle it out for the starting center job in 2023 when training camp begins in late July, but it sounds as though Patrick could be relegated to the top backup role for the interior of their offensive line for his second season in Chicago.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus spoke a bit about the center competition following June 13’s first veteran minicamp practice and declared an early frontrunner for the starting job, emphasizing that Whitehair is “the starter right now” at the position. He also elaborated on how Patrick — who has starting experience at center and guard — fits into the picture as they prepare for the six-week break before the start of training camp.
“Cody’s there as the starter right now, and then Lucas is working in there because of experience,” Eberflus said. “Really, the big thing with those guys is the accuracy of the snaps, and they’ve done a great job with that. It’s not just in the team periods, it’s also in individuals. So, even when C-Mo [offensive line coach Chris Morgan] is going rapid fire, we want to make sure, even when they are gassed and tired in individual, that they have accurate snaps. Because if they can do it then, they can do it during the game.”
The presumption has been that Whitehair would emerge as the Bears’ starting center ever since general manager Ryan Poles announced after the draft that the 30-year-old veteran would be shifting back to snapping duties after playing guard the last two years. Actually hearing Eberflus call him “the starter” solidifies his standing, though, and creates a situation where the starting job becomes Whitehair’s to lose during camp.
Lucas Patrick Will Compete for All 3 Interior Roles
Whitehair may hold the edge over Patrick in terms of the center competition, but the Bears are by no means down on Patrick’s potential heading into the 2023 season.
After Tuesday’s practice, Eberflus complimented the way that Patrick has “changed his body” throughout the offseason, concentrating on the physical side of things in hopes it can help him avoid the injury troubles that kept him off the field for much of last year. He also said that the plan — for now at least — is to have Patrick push for a starting job at all three of the interior positions on their line, not just the center spot.
“Lucas has done an outstanding job. He’s really changed his body,” Eberflus said. “He’s really been working that physical side of it so he can stay in there and stay healthy, and he’s going to continue to do that. We’re happy where he is in terms of competing inside. And we know how this season goes … we’re going to need everybody. At some point, somebody is going to step in there and be a starter, and we’re fortunate to have Lucas who has started in that position — not to say he’s not going to compete for those starting spots that are inside. He’s going to, and we’ll see where it goes during training camp.”
Patrick certainly has the desired experience to fortify the interior of Chicago’s line. He started 13 games at the center spot for the Green Bay Packers during the 2021 season after second-round pick Josh Myers suffered a major injury and finished the season allowing just one sack and 18 pressures. He also split 15 starts between left and right guard for the Packers in 2020, giving up more sacks (three) but fewer pressures (16).
The question now is: Will Patrick’s veteran experience be enough for him to bump Whitehair, Teven Jenkins or newcomer Nate Davis out of their starting jobs?
Bears Grateful to Have Offensive Line ‘Continuity’
Not knowing where Patrick will play is a good problem for the Bears to have. Unlike last season, when they were counting on him to challenge Sam Mustipher for the starting job at center, the Bears will likely be satisfied having him as their top interior backup option if he is unable to secure a starting role during camp competitions. And part of the reason why is that, in 2023, they are hoping to finally have legitimate continuity.
The Bears return three starters from last year’s offensive line in Braxton Jones, Jenkins and Whitehair — although, the latter two have switched to different positions– and have added two new clear-cut starters at right guard (Davis) and right tackle (first-round rookie Darnell Wright) to round out their lineup. With less fluidity in the lineup, Eberflus and Morgan have noticed that continuity is “really starting to gel” now.
“In fact, I just talked to C-Mo earlier today about it and the continuity of that is really starting to gel, having guys next to each other. Braxton next to the guard [Teven Jenkins], and then also Nate also next to another young [tackle], so we’ve got some youth next to experience there,” Eberflus said. “We like it, and it’s starting to gel. Hopefully, it won’t be the moving chairs we had last year.”
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