Exploring the Bears' choice to replace Cody Whitehair with Lucas Patrick in the lineup.
The most significant substitution for the Bears in their Week 6 loss to the Vikings was undoubtedly the insertion of undrafted free agent rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent for Justin Fields after Fields injured his hand in the third quarter. The extent of Fields' absence due to the injury will be the primary storyline to watch moving forward.
However, the Bears also made a proactive decision that could have a substantial impact on their offense. They opted to bench center Cody Whitehair in the second half and replaced him with Lucas Patrick in the center position on the offensive line.
Head coach Matt Eberflus explained the move, stating, "With Justin going out and Tyson in there, we thought it was better for our team to have the guy with more experience in there playing center. That's the position that we have where Lucas has played a long time and has a lot of experience in there. We thought that would settle Bagent down a little bit."
It's worth noting that Whitehair had three consecutive subpar snaps from the shotgun, which significantly contributed to a problematic drive before his benching. Eberflus, however, denied that the errant snaps were the primary factor in the decision to replace Whitehair with Patrick.
"It was more about settling down and putting a guy (in) who has more experience at center," Eberflus clarified. "We feel good about both guys."
For reference, Whitehair has played center in 62 games throughout his career, while Patrick has only appeared in 24 games at that position. Bagent also mentioned that he felt comfortable working with both centers and dispelled any notion that he had practiced more with Patrick since they are the respective backups at their positions.
"More often than not, I'm taking scout team reps with neither of those guys," Bagent explained. "But I make sure � you know each center snaps it a little differently, especially under center. In the gun, it's pretty similar. I make sure I mix it up and get snaps from both of them throughout the week and in pregame."
While some might interpret this benching as a sign of Whitehair's impending departure from the team, the reality is that Whitehair could regain his starting role as early as next week. Starting right guard Nate Davis also left Sunday's game with an ankle injury, and if he is unable to play in the next game, the Bears will need to find a replacement. Ja'Tyre Carter has served as the primary backup right guard this season, mainly because Whitehair was needed to play left guard and Patrick to play center when the usual left guard, Teven Jenkins, was on injured reserve. However, with Jenkins now back, the Bears may decide that their best offensive line configuration includes Whitehair at center and Patrick at right guard, instead of Patrick at center and Carter at right guard. Alternatively, they may consider moving Whitehair to the right side to replace Davis.
In any case, Whitehair's benching was a short-term adjustment that helped stabilize the offense in Week 6. It is premature to conclude that Whitehair has played his last snap as a member of the Bears.
