Sam Mustipher Tries to Pull His Own Weight (Up)
When Sam Mustipher left Notre Dame to come into the NFL in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, he weighed in officially at 305 pounds.
The Bears saw a need for Mustipher to add strength and some weight. He pushed up to 311 and now he's trying to hold down the middle at center even heavier.
"This offseason was all about gaining strength," Mustipher said. "I put on 10 pounds of lean mass, so it was a great offseason. So now June and July is going to be just trimming the fat down and trying to maintain the muscle I put on to withstand a 17-game season and hopefully longer than that."
Mustipher relied on someone familiar to Bears fans to help with his offseason training.
"Last year I trained with Olin Kreutz, this year I did the same," he said.
Kreutz played 13 years at center for the Bears, including six straight when he made the Pro Bowl.
Kreutz played the position below 300 pounds, at 292. The game has changed now and the weight and extra strength can help Mustipher.
"I have a lot of people that I trust and there's a great group of guys that I'm able to train with week-in and week-out," Mustipher said. "And just being back in the facility with Loco (strength coach Jason Loscalzo) and the guys, that was critical for me.
"I like to eat and there's a lot of good food in Chicago, so that was definitely critical for putting on the muscle."
It's the first time Mustipher has ever gone into a training camp as the expected starter. He come off the practice squad when the Bears revamped the offensive line and his starts helped lead them back from a six-game losing streak to the playoffs.
His attitude toward the season hasn't changed, practice squad or starter.
"You know, for me it's not really a difference," he said. "I've always had the mindset that I was going to go into an offseason preparing to play football. Whether that be on the practice squad, whether that be on the active roster, whether that be as a starting center, each offseason I prepare with that exact mindset and I've got to be great to play.
"And last year, you know, the fruits of my labor showed."
Considering the strength and weight added from this year's work, it's safe to expect Mustipher will improve in his first full season starting.
Any improvement is more than physical, though.
"And so I really feel like this offseason, it was critical for me to have that film, live film against other NFL defenses to understand the things I need to work on and improve on," Mustipher said. "We still have some time left to improve on those things."
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