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Why Rashaad Coward Could Be the Real Mystery Bear

Lack of experience as a right guard leaves open the possibility he shows enough improvement to win starting spot over Germain Ifedi

It wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to say Rashaad Coward is the one Bears starter who could surprise not only fans this season but his own team.

It's a strange twist but the Bears are probably more familiar with what free agent acquisition Germain Ifedi is capable of doing as their new right guard challenger than they are Coward, the player who has held this Bears starting position since Week 7 of last season.

Coward hadn't played any guard except for some practice snaps until last year in Week 4, when a knee injury knocked Ted Larsen out of a game he started because of an injury and ineffective play by Kyle Long.

Coward came on to play that game and then into the next-to-last game of the season before he couldn't play in the season ender against the Vikings due to a knee injury. Then Larsen replaced him.

Coward accumulated only a 51.7 Pro Football Focus grade in his first action at right guard over 660 snaps, although he did only allow one sack and committed just four penalties.

The reason the Bears know so little about Coward's capabilities is he had been a defensive end in 2017 on the practice squad under John Fox's regime and got promoted to play 10 snaps in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 10, as well as one special teams play. Then the Bears decided in 2018 to move him to offense and turn him into a tackle, but he didn't play.

Last year Coward had an elbow injury in mid-August during a preseason game and the Bears couldn't even look at him at tackle or guard for almost four weeks before he was ready to return and then play in the first Vikings game.

"We really like where Coward's heading in his future," Bears GM Ryan Pace said. "We're really optimistic about that, especially him being raw, converting from defensive line."

The assumption by many is Ifedi wins out and the Bears have much more film of Ifedi playing guard in the NFL than they do of Coward.

"But to be honest, I think you're mindful, too, of, hey, Ifedi's on a one-year deal," Pace said. "Rashaad is a work in progress and we feel good about that."

The run blocking of Coward obviously must improve, and that's the case with all of the Bears on the offensive line after last season.

Coward's awareness of the defensive fronts and changes is a different type of task, more mental, and another year of it could make him a better player in the blocking scheme.

Another part of the great unknown with Coward is how he'll take to the coaching of new offensive line coach Juan Castillo.

It's no less probable he emerges the front runner in the eyes of a new coach than it is he winds up back on the bench.

Players do often improve with repetitions and Coward has barely just begun in the NFL.

Rashaad Coward at a Glance

Old Dominion G

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 326

Key Numbers: Coward took 100% of the snaps at right guard for nine weeks before going out with a knee injury after 19 plays against Kansas City in the season's next-to-last game.

Chances of Winning Starting Job: 2 on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the most.

2020 Projection: Backup guard to Germain Ifedi, who can also play at tackle if needed.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven