Just five weeks ago people were ready to blow the entire Chicago Bears offensive line up and start from scratch. It’s amazing how much things have changed since then. With each passing game the offense performs at a high level, it’s becoming apparent the team may have more quality blockers than they thought. Sam Mustipher has emerged as a legitimate option at center while Cody Whitehair has found new life at left guard. This has created arguments about how the interior will look once James Daniels returns next year. Except the complications don’t end with them. Alex Bars is making sure of that.
Fans and media had clamored for the former undrafted free agent to get more playing time as early as last season. Yet Matt Nagy and his staff seemed dead set on giving every open job to Rashaad Coward. This despite a mountain of evidence the guy wasn’t nearly consistent enough.
At last following the bye week, Bars got his chance.
Following a deep self-scouting session, the Bears shifted Germain Ifedi to right tackle and slid Bars into that right guard slot. While Mustipher and Whitehair have gotten most of the attention, people have missed how good he’s played. How good? Over the past two weeks alone, the second-year man has not allowed a single pressure in 65 pass blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus.
On top of that, he’s been a big part of the Bears’ suddenly newfound running game. They’ve gone for 121, 140, 169, and 199 yards on the ground respectively in each of the past four games. Proof is piling up that experts were right. If not for an untimely knee injury, Bars likely would’ve been drafted last year. The fact Chicago got him and Mustipher as undrafted free agents is looking like a bigger coup every week.
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#Bears right guard Alex Bars hasn't allowed a pressure since Week 13 against the Lions
0 pressures on 65 pass blocking snaps against the Texans and Vikings pic.twitter.com/eg9kArOFzZ
— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) December 22, 2020
Alex Bars is playing his way into the starter conversation
The Bears have a legitimate conundrum on their hands. Mustipher looks like their fixture (for the time being) at center. That means they might have three capable guys to choose from for only two starting spots. They can’t well keep Daniels and Whitehair on the bench but at the same time doing the same to Bars doesn’t look like a smart idea either. Could they possibly move him outside to tackle?
Remember Ifedi will be a free agent. Bobby Massie will return but is likely a candidate for being cut. Alex Bars did play tackle in college and seemed to handle himself well. He has the size for it. The concerns were about his length. His arms reportedly were just 32.75 inches long. Many consider that too short for an NFL tackle. It’s not a dealbreaker but it can become a problem in certain matchups.
It will be fascinating to see how this unfolds.
Maybe the narrative on him changes again over the final weeks of the season. If he does finish strong, then the Bears will have some decisions to make during the offseason. What will make it even more hectic is whether the current regime of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace will be the ones making that decision.