Detroit Lions top the NFC North offensive line power rankings
By Ash Thompson
The Chicago Bears Offensive line
The Chicago Bears offensive line is not even close to the same level of a trainwreck as the Vikings. They were the same level of bad pass blocking as the Lions, but without the uproar that caused the Lions problems. The Bears were just actually that bad.
The Bears interior offensive line got a talent injection in the second round of the draft. James Daniels was considered the best interior offensive lineman in the draft by some prognosticators. He joined the already high profile interior group.
Center Cody Whitehair joined the team in the second round of the 2016 draft. After a stellar rookie campaign, his play dropped off significantly in 2017. He was still a good run blocker, but he struggled in pass protection.
Kyle Long is the best offensive lineman on the team. He has not been available for nearly half of the team’s games in the last two seasons, he is recovering from three different offseason surgeries. He is their only hope for veteran leadership.
Where everything falls apart and there is no reason for hope is the tackle positions. Left tackle Charles Leno jr. is not a bad player, but neither is he a great player. He falls into the grey middle area where he is neither hurting or helping.
He is not good enough to leave on an island against another team’s best pass rusher, but he doesn’t need as much help as the team’s right tackle. Because of that, he will not receive as much help as the team’s other tackle.
That other tackle is likely Bobby Massie. I don’t want to dwell too much on him, but he is a below average blocker in both the run and pass. He needs help against anything resembling a good player across from him.
There is nobody pushing for starting spots. There is nobody ready to fill in for injured players. The Bears are a single injury from being a bad offensive line. If that injury never comes they are probably a slightly above average group.