Second-Guessing Key Bears Decisions

The break between the end of minicamp and start of training camp allows for reflection.

In football terms, this is known as second-guessing.

Bears coaches have made a handful of personnel decisions with their use of players within the scheme. They got the chance to assess these decisions at OTAs and minicamp.

In probably all cases they'll continue using players this way. It's possible they'll change their minds but unlikely until it's proven one way or another in game conditions, because as they always insist in pointing out, they didn't have pads on at OTAs or minicamp.

Here are the decisions made where they may already be making a mistake. At least the second-guessers might say this.

6. Cody Whitehair at Center

The Bears already moved him from there once. What gives?

Well, Sam Mustipher wasn't even wanted on the team and was the starter once Whitehair moved. So it's a matter of preference by this staff.

They may have looked at film and of how Whitehair's career started and decided he'd be better playing center again.

The one issue Whitehair had when he was playing center the first time was with some eratic shotgun snaps.

"I know at first there were some issues as far as the consistency of the snaps," Whitehair said. "But I feel like I'm past that. I feel like I'm in a good spot. The experience there before has helped me."

It's very possible they looked at film of when he started in the league and decided a mistake was made by Matt Nagy's staff when they moved Whitehair to guard. He was playing more wide zone scheme in the John Fox era and as a rookie graded out with Pro Football Focus as one of the league's best centers. In fact, his best PFF grade came as a rookie at center.

Still, they brought Lucas Patrick to the Bears for a reason and it was to be a starting center. He never really had the chance to do it. He had 10 plays there last year because of injuries both to himself and then to guards, necessitating his move to guard as a replacement.

Is this really the best use of both Patrick and Whitehair?

"He's done a nice job so far and like he said, he's kind of settling back in," line coach Chris Morgan said about Whitehair. "It's like riding a bike. I heard him say that. He's doing a good job."

As Morgan and everyone else on the staff reminds, though, they've only seen this line without pads.

5. Teven Jenkins at Left Guard

This move from right guard to left was decided because they had veteran free agent Nate Davis coming in and he had been an effective player at his position, in a similar scheme, with Tennessee. However, Jenkins didn't exactly struggle last year at right guard for the first time.

"We always talk about everything as an organization," Morgan said. "We're going to put the guys where we think the unit can be the best. He's (Davis) over there on the right."

Wouldn't it make more sense to keep Jenkins on the right side after he played both right guard and tackle in his career so far? Moving to the left side has made Jenkins change up some things and this comes after he was graded the third-best guard in the league overall by PFF in 2022.

"Footwork mostly," Jenkins said, describing the change. "Just using your hands and where they aim and where to hit."

There hasn't been great transparency by the coaches in why they decided Jenkins was the one who had to move. It's possible pass protection had something to do with it.

"A big thing for me right now is my pass pro," Jenkins said. "That's the thing. I'm trying to get better at it."

But he needs pass protection at either guard.

It's possible they moved him because he's very young at the guard spot and can make that change easier than someone who has always been on the right side like Davis.

It's possible mobility has something to do with it. Teams tend to run right more so the left guard is moving a bigger distance in the wide zone and they see Jenkins as younger and mobile. There could be something to this.

Either way, if Jenkins doesn't succeed at left guard to the extent he did at right guard, there will be second-guessers looking at this one with a microscope.

4. Jaylon Johnson Moving

They're apparently very content with letting cornerback Jaylon Johnson continue to move around the formation as the guy blanketing the opponents' best receiver.

During OTAs, Johnson occasionally lined up at left cornerback. He was moving, just like he did last year and in 2021 when the Bears faced a standout receiver like Justin Jefferson or Davante Adams.

Part of the reason Johnson hasn't had a higher number of interceptions is his focus on defending the man and not playing it like a straight-zone cornerback who is making plays on the ball. The Bears really needed him to play that lock-down corner role because they were lacking on the left side and in the slot at cornerback, so they just put him out on the best receiver wherever he went.

Things have changed. They've devoted two second-round draft picks the last two years at cornerback and Tyrique Stevenson looks more than capable of holding his own at left cornerback because of his size, speed, technique and experience for two years in the SEC.

Letting Johnson continue to move around seems unnecessary and like a way of preventing interceptions more than anything. He could focus more on playing the ball if he's manning only right cornerback.

3. Kyler Gordon in Slot and Outside

Apparently the plan is to let Kyler Gordon continue moving from left cornerback to slot based on whether they are in nickel or base coverage. Stevenson would go to the bench then if it was the base defense.

"He'll have plenty of reps under his belt," secondary coach Jon Hoke said. "He'll improve as a player. He'll see things faster. Just the reps are a big part of it."

This might not be a mistake. But it's possible they're making a mistake by not looking at Stevenson in the slot. He showed a real knack for jumping routes in the offseason work and that's invaluable in the slot. Besides, Gordon was more effective playing the ball from outside. He was outside on two of his interceptions last year.

Gordon likes playing outside and inside, but his reason for liking the slot seems somewhat pointless in this scheme.

"I like to blitz and stuff like that," Gordon said. "Them giving me the ability to go and do that, that’s what I love a lot about being in the nickel is being in the nickel and being in the run fit. Hopefully I go back to corner and go back and forth like I did. I do really love nickel and being near the ball, I just get to be closer which is more opportunities for me to make plays and stuff like that. I love being there."

"He's a good blitzer because he's physical, understands the timing, understands how to beat a block," Hoke said.

The Bears blitz less than almost any team in the league and Gordon blitzed only 18 times according to Sportradar, and he caused one pressure with no sacks.

Playing Gordon inside instead of outside might be depriving him of making plays on the ball, and it also could be preventing someone else from playing inside who would be better suited.

It's a decision open to questioning.

2. T.J. Edwards at Weakside Linebacker

The big mystery lasted a few weeks after free agency, and that was whether T.J. Edwards or Tremaine Edmunds would be the weakside linebacker. The weakside is the playmaker near the line and behind it in this defensive scheme.

Coach Matt Eberflus had Shaq Leonard doing it in Indianapolis and he did it with incredible efficiency. He made 17 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries, 30 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in four seasons with Eberflus as defensive coordinator.

There was great speculation the weakside would be Edmunds because of his natural athletic ability, a 4.54-second 40-yard dash speed and a long reach as a 6-foot-5 player. However, all of those skills are like Brian Urlacher had in the middle for the old Lovie Smith Bears Tampa-2 defense, a similar scheme. So either way it made sense for the Bears.

Edwards has had two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, 13 passes defensed and five sacks. But Edmunds never has had numbers approaching anything Leonard did, either. He has five career interceptions, two forced fumbles, 6 1/2 sacks and 32 tackles for loss. He dos have 35 passes broken up, which is a high number and possibly the best figure explaining why they have him playing middle and dropping deep.

"Honestly, they're kind of interchangeable," linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi said. "Tremaine has played Mike (middle) and it was just an easy fit to put Tremaine at Mike. He's done it before. T.J. has played multiple spots, so T.J. is versatile. So it just kind of worked out."

It looks like they could have gone either way and who knows, maybe that's their plan. They'll keep QBs guessing as they try to identify who has the Mike's responsibility on plays.

However, if the big plays aren't coming they will be open to second-guessing about their choice at each spot.

1. Velus Jones Jr. Punt Returner

Don't look now, but Velus Jones Jr. was back trying to field punts again at minicamp and OTAs.

Eberflus was describing what kind of improvement he saw in Jones over last year, when he was a non-factor in the offense until late in the season, then added, "...and he's been working on catching the punts, which is really good. Gonna be a big part for us if he can work that and be consistent going through camp and show he can do that on a full-time basis."

The muff against the Giants that cost the Bears a chance at the game-tying drive and the muff against the Commanders that left the Bears trailing a game they should have won both led to Jones losing the job to Dante Pettis last year.

He also misjudged some punts that were allowed to hit the ground and bounce.

Jones was a very effective kick returner, third-best in the league in average return and really began exploding for longer returns in the season's second half. Much can be expected from him in this assignment.

However, punt return is a different animal entirely. Former Bears return man Cordarrelle Patterson realized this and told former Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor he wouldn't be doing it. He has one punt return in his career.

"I don't return punts, man," Patterson said. "That's not what I've been doing. Like I told coach Tabes, if you need me to go out there and try to catch a punt, I'll do it to my best ability to try to catch a punt. That's not something I've been doing my career."

Neither has Jones. He did do it 18 times his sixth and final year of college and never any other time. Then he struggled fielding it for the Bears.

It's a unique skill set requiring someone to field it sometimes in a crowd of people before running. Two muffs last year showed Jones didn't have the right technique. It seems unlikely he'll suddenly have it and the consequences if he doesn't can be game-changing.

Two themes recur in a number of the Bears' most regrettable decisions — wrong choices were made on quarterbacks and frugality had dire consequences. My story for @TheAthletic. https://t.co/wOBUqet9XA
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) June 29, 2023

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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