The Chicago Bears had the 27th ranked offense in 2019. Searching for reasons why always start in the same place it should. That being the offensive line. After a strong 2018 performance, the front five took a noticeable step back. There were valid reasons for this. Injuries played a part. However, much of it was also due to bad execution and poor discipline. They couldn’t get the running game going at all and their pass protection was spotty way too often. These reasons were a driving force behind the team firing offensive line coach Harry Hiestand in favor of Juan Castillo.
Yet that shouldn’t have been enough to convince the team they shouldn’t invest some good resources into the group, right? Wrong, apparently. Since the offseason began in March, the Bears have made only four additions on the offensive line. Two cheap veterans in Germain Ifedi and Jason Spriggs, former high draft picks who disappointed with their previous teams. Then two 7th round picks in Arlington Hambright and Lachavious Simmons.
Not exactly the big move fans were hoping for. So why? Do the Bears trust Castillo that much to get more out of this group that Hiestand did? The answer is yes, and it’s not all because of his closer ties to head coach Matt Nagy and the Andy Reid coaching tree. His track record is full of unexpected high points with supposedly low-end talents.
Juan Castillo made a living with no-name blockers
Castillo became an offensive line coach for the first time in 1998 and held that job with the Philadelphia Eagles until 2010. That doesn’t happen often for position coaches. A testament to the work he put in. While a lot of his success was built around good investments by the organization into 1st and 2nd round offensive linemen, there were also plenty of hidden gems uncovered too. Hank Fraley was an undrafted free agent out of Robert Morris. He started five seasons for the team including their Super Bowl run in 2004.
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Jamaal Jackson, an undrafted free agent out of Delaware State, arrived the next year and ended up starting five seasons for them. Todd Herremans was a 4th round pick out of Saginaw Valley State and became a fixture up front for nine years there. It didn’t stop with Philadelphia too.
Castillo moved on to Baltimore in 2012. The trend continued there. He took Jeremy Zuttah, a rather average center from Tampa Bay and turned him into a Pro Bowler after three seasons. Ricky Wagner was an overlooked 5th round pick out of Wisconsin in 2013. He ended up starting three seasons for the Ravens and earned a lucrative contract from Detroit after leaving in free agency.
Nobody is saying Castillo works miracles, but it’s clear he tends to get the best out of his guys. That is what the Bears were looking for. They feel they have enough talent up front to win. Better execution is key.
