Chicago Bears: Position-by-position grades through Week 4
By Ryan Heckman
Offensive Line
Going into the regular season, fans had some questions about this offensive line. Particularly, it was all eyes on Cody Whitehair. Last year, he had a handful of questionable snaps which fans will never forget.
During the preseason, Whitehair struggled with his snaps yet again. This drew the question, should James Daniels be starting at center?
Fast forward, and Whitehair has actually played very well. His snaps have been just fine, but Daniels’ name is still amidst the conversation.
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The biggest weakness for the Bears is at the left guard spot, where Eric Kush has been abysmal in the run game. Truthfully, this is the only glaring downside of the group. Other than Kush’s run-blocking, the unit has been fantastic overall.
Per Pro Football Focus, the Bears are the number one pass-blocking team in the NFL with a grade of 90.7. That is pretty incredible, and it’s only going to help speed up the development of second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Eric Kush is standing on the sideline with his helmet in his hand. Don't believe he's hurt. https://t.co/yt2tKKNVAt
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) September 30, 2018
We saw Daniels get in there for Kush against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, and he played very well. Due to an injury to Kyle Long, Kush and Daniels were both on the field at times. But, if Long is healthy coming off the bye, most would hope that Daniels permanently replaces Kush. That, above all else, will launch this group into an elite category overall.