Numbers Support Cody Whitehair as Bears Center
Almost a year ago Bears coach Matt Nagy was asked at minicamp about the move of Cody Whitehair back to guard and James Daniels to center, a switch made because the Bears thought this was the "natural position" for both players.
At the time of the question, the Bears had seen an entire offseason of work from Daniels at his natural position and Whitehair at guard.
"I feel pretty good about both of them," Nagy said. "James, being at center has been great. Cody, being at guard has been great. The line has been really solid."
In the end it didn't quite work out this way.
Daniels moved back to guard at midseason with Whitehair playing center again. They did it under the guise of trying to help right guard Rashaad Coward, a converted defensive lineman who'd been thrust suddenly from playing offensive tackle to guard because of Kyle Long's career-ending injuries.
The Bears have remained mum on where the two will begin playing this year. It's not hard to be mum on anything at this point considering COVID-19 and the effect on offseason preparation, but when they actually get on the field it will be a surprise one way or other where they line up because no concrete answer has been given.
If the Bears know what's good for them, they'll have Whitehair lining up at center as he ended the season. This is supported by what the analytical website Pro Football Focus says in a recent article.
PFF, which has a system for grading players, has broken down Whitehair's play into two phases. In an article about the most underrated players on each of the 32 teams, Whitehair is named most underrated for the Bears.
Apparently, they are talking about Whitehair the center.
"Part of the reason for Whitehair's inclusion on this list is that he's coming off a career-worst overall grade of 64.9 in 2019, but he started the season at left guard rather than his usual center position," Pro Football Focus' Ben Linsey wrote. "That has led to some question about where he fits on this line and what he’ll look like moving forward."
Linsey pointed out their film breakdown of Whitehair is much different when he plays center.
"When looking at just snaps played at center since 2016, Whitehair’s PFF grade of 79.8 ranks eighth—a top-shelf option who excels in the run game. That grade dips to 68.1 across either guard spot on nearly 800 career NFL snaps."
The conclusion of the article suggests Whitehair would be better used at center. Daniels' PFF grades were in the 60s both years he's been in the league.
The Bears ran for 814 yards in the season's second half with Whitehair at center, and 644 in the first half with Daniels at center.
It's ironic, because the Bears made the move largely because they thought Daniels a center based on his play at Iowa before they drafted him. Former offensive line coach Harry Hiestand insisted on two occasions last year that Daniels could handle all the responsibilities of adjusting blocking with line calls for the first time.
Neither that move nor the Whitehair move to center seemed to work, and both appeared better off at the positions where they finished.
Daniels finished the season with the best overall PFF grade of any offensive lineman at 70.3. How likely this would have been if they hadn't switched back is open to debate, but the line did look somewhat better in several games during the season's second half. And they were still contending as a group with lesser play from the right guard position. Coward had a PFF grade of
PFF has many flaws in what it tries to do. Grading players even off overhead film when you can't be certain of their assignment and adjustments made at the start of a play makes for inexact science. Which defensive back is responsible for a certain player in coverage is never easy against different formations, and did the player do his job away from the ball is another circumstance difficult to examine. Whether receivers did their jobs on numerous option routes is also difficult, as is audible calling by quarterbacks and acknowledgement by teammates.
Grading offensive linemen is another matter because, it basically comes down to getting a block. In zone schemes like the Bears run it's even easier to determine.
PFF's assessment pointing to Whitehair as the one who should play center would make for a stronger overall line from numerous angles.
It's where play should start for the Bears on offense when it actually gets going on a field.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
