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Line of Questioning: Bears Blockers Drawing the Heat

Unclear center-guard situation with Cody Whitehair and James Daniels started off last year's troubles and then injuries and penalties crept in to damage blocking elsewhere

Finally, sanity.

While it seemed most pro football analysts gushed about the Bears' selection of cornerback Jaylon Johnson or ripped their selection of tight end Cole Kmet, no one seemed to get the real downfall of last year's team and potential problem this year.

ESPN.com at least paid attention to it when they called the offensive line the biggest roster hole on this Bears team. It's why the Bears' decision to not pursue free agent guard Larry Warford is a possible mistake.

"With only two picks in the first two days of the draft, the Bears weren't able to address the majority of their holes. Chicago didn't address its offensive line until Round 7, drafting Colorado's Arlington Hambright and Tennessee State's Lachavious Simmons with its final two picks," ESPN wrote. "Neither is likely to make a significant impact in 2020."

ESPN went on to blame the Bears offensive line for 124 blown blocks according to the analytical website Sports Info Solutions.

The website said the Bears have ranked 28th and 29th in adjusted lined yards the past two years.

 The Bears have been 26th and 27th in yards per rush the last two years and gave up 45 sacks last season, the most since 2011.

By adding no relevant draft picks and only Germain Ifedi as a potential starter in 2020, they're basically saying  new line coach Juan Castillo can coach up a group they had paid a ton of cash to heading into the 2019 season. It's almost as if they've made former line coach Harry Hiestand into a scapegoat for last season's woes.

The line is a real Bears problem and it's not simply because a website criticized them. It goes back to last year when they tried playing second-year lineman James Daniels at center from the start while moving Pro Bowl center Cody Whitehair back to guard. 

Whether this was entirely Hiestand's doing or not isn't entirely clear, but few of these offensive or defensive decisions are the work of one coach.

It never worked, they switched at midseason to their previous positions, and now it's entirely unclear where they'll play this year because coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace have been purposely vague on the issue when asked.

"They both can play guard or center, we've just got to continue to look at that," Pace said after the season. "I think when you look at James he's still one of the youngest players on our team. You know he's still developing. 

"I think he got as lot better as the season went on but as far as where we're going to put him (in 2020) that's still an evaluation."

The right guard battle for position between Germain Ifedi and Rashaad Coward, Charles Leno's attempt to come back from a 13-penalty season and Bobby Massie trying to bounce back from injuries are all themes for the offensive line this year.

It hasn't been improved much from outside with talent, it is true. 

If the Bears get better on the line it's going to have to come largely from within, and it would start with getting the center-guard positions correct from the very beginning this season.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven