Juan Castillo is a unique individual. That isn’t meant in a bad way. He has a certain way of doing things as a coach. The guy is all about relentless hard work and paying attention to detail. This is what he’s done for over two decades now. It’s hard to argue with his track record. The man has developed a lot of good players. So when he puts his stamp of approval on somebody, it might be wise to listen.
That was why his heavy support of Germain Ifedi last year was so interesting. The Bears signed the former Seattle Seahawks 1st round pick to a minimum deal with the idea of transitioning him to guard. Castillo was a big fan of his. Not just in terms of the talent either. One thing that stood out to him almost immediately was Ifedi’s work ethic. The guy puts in the hours.
To his credit, Castillo wasn’t wrong.
Ifedi was easily one of the steadiest blockers the Bears had in 2020. What made that even more surprising was when they shifted him back out to right tackle due to a rash of injuries. He ended up playing better than expected and the team just left him there the rest of the season. This allowed Alex Bars to step in at right guard. A move that helped to stabilize the offensive line down the stretch.
Now Castillo’s expectations seem even higher for this season. Ifedi is back on a one-year deal and will be in the mix to start at right tackle again. The coach thinks people continue to overlook how talented the guy is.
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“The thing that you look at is that Germain Ifedi is blessed with God-given talent. He was a first-round draft pick. My job as a coach is to get that out of him. I know that he hadn’t been playing like that at Seattle.
“But I think he improved. He cut his penalties over half from what he had at Seattle. And I think everybody would say that if you watched the tape, he played square, which was his problem at Seattle and I think he’s just gonna get better. The kid was a first-round draft pick.”
Castillo wasn’t done. He doubled down on his statement a short time later. Not only does he think Ifedi can be a solid starter. He believes he can reach an even higher achievement.
“As we talk, he’s busting his ass in Texas in 100-degree weather,” Castillo said. “Works as hard as any guy I’ve been around.
“I don’t want to make predictions, but I would not be surprised if this kid made the Pro Bowl next year. Why not, right? Everything is possible, as we know.”
Juan Castillo has no plans to hand Ifedi anything though
He is not the guaranteed starter at all. The plan for the Bears is to pit him in direct competition with 5th round rookie Larry Borom. Somebody they have a high opinion of. Borom performed quite well most of his tenure at Missouri, demonstrating the sort of power and finesse NFL tackles need. His primary issue was conditioning, having weighed around 340-350 lbs during his time as a starter.
So when he showed up to meetings and workouts at a sleeker 322 lbs? That got the Bears’ attention. He should be quicker now at a lighter weight, which makes him that much more dangerous. Still, don’t expect that to intimidate Ifedi. He has a clear experience advantage and played arguably the best football of his career in 2020. Juan Castillo expects him to show up for training camp in shape and totally focused.
Don’t dismiss the idea he can be a good player for them this year.
The combo of him and James Daniels on the right side could be fun to watch. Maybe not as much as Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair on the left side but still. This Bears offensive line may not be the pushover some seem to think it’ll be despite the losses of Charles Leno and Bobby Massie this offseason. Castillo is standing up for his guy but he also doesn’t throw around praise unless it’s earned.