The Chicago Bears offensive line was a joke by the arrival of their bye week back in November. They’d just been thoroughly whipped by a Minnesota Vikings defense that had one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. Head coach Matt Nagy and offensive line coach Juan Castillo knew changes were needed. The formula they were trying just wasn’t working. So they got to work. Two weeks later, the Bears rolled out a completely new unit. Cody Whitehair had moved from center to left guard. Germain Ifedi moved from right guard to right tackle. Sam Mustipher replaced Whitehair at center and Alex Bars replaced Ifedi at right guard.
The result was beyond expectations. The line started to block so much better and soon the offense began to rack up 30-point games at a rapid clip. Running back David Montgomery was probably the biggest benefactor, piling up 598 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in the remaining seven games with that configuration in front of him.
Of all the guys involved, Bars may have been the one getting the most praise.
.@ChicagoBears #AlexBars is a really good player and the improvement up front can be directly related to when Bars went to RG. He was the missing piece. Now they get the ultimate test this Sunday. No #BearUp fan could ask for anything more than to beat the Pack #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/E4FfmN7Xs0
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 30, 2020
Not bad for a former undrafted free agent. However, with the season now over the Bears have a dilemma on their hands. What do they do with their interior offensive line configuration? It’s easy to say they just keep it as is. Except there’s a problem. James Daniels will return from his pectoral injury next season. He was arguably their best blocker up front before going down.
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The Bears have to keep him on the field. Whitehair was excellent since switching to guard as well. Mustipher is the most reliable option they’ve had at center in years. Yet Bars also played really well. So what do they do with him? Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune thinks the coaches will give serious consideration to another position switch.
“It’s a little early to say precisely what the Bears will do on the offensive line, but I believe they were impressed by the performance of Mustipher and Bars. If I had to guess, the Bears will view Mustipher as a starter moving forward, possibly release Massie and then look to replace him at right tackle with a veteran or a competition between Bars and a high draft pick.”
Undrafted rookie Alex Bars looked like the #Bears best backup offensive tackle against the #Colts
What really stood out was his football intelligence. He hadn't played OT in years but was ready for every blitz and stunt thrown at him pic.twitter.com/nCi6LrnzLt
— Lorin Cox (@CoxSports1) August 26, 2019
Alex Bars isn’t a complete stranger to playing tackle
He did it in college. In 2017, he was the starting right tackle for Notre Dame the entire season. That year they piled up over 3,500 (!) rushing yards and 33 touchdowns. It was one of the most dominant offensive lines of the modern era of college football. Bars was a major part of that. He was moved to left guard the next season though. Most evaluators felt he was a better fit inside.
His play down the stretch would seem to validate those beliefs. That being said, the young offensive lineman has versatility. Cutting Bobby Massie would net the Bears some much-needed cap space. At the same time, they can retain Alex Bars for just $850,000 this coming season due to his Exclusive Right Free Agent tender. Slotting him into right tackle would be a gamble, but a calculated one. Adding a draft pick to the completion would give them some insurance.
It’s not a bad plan.
If it ends up working out? Terrific. The Bears have a potential long-term answer at a key position. If not, they’ve at least bought a little time for the young draft pick to prepare. All while saving money that can be used to solve problems elsewhere.
