When Ozzy Trapilo went down last weekend against Green Bay, Ben Johnson was always going to have a difficult decision to make in how to replace him.
Sure, Theo Benedet played okay in a few starts at left tackle. But he really struggled in pass protection, and having him be the main man responsible for blocking Jared Verse on quarterback Caleb Williams’ blindside could have been an issue. And while Braxton Jones was activated from injured reserve, playing him in a playoff game didn’t feel like a realistic option. Given that Jones hadn’t played for months and struggled mightily at the beginning of the season, his placement among the game day inactives was understandable.
Then, there was the route that none of us really saw coming until it was reported that All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney was a possible “Plan B” at left tackle. As it turns out, Thuney ended up being Ben Johnson’s actual Plan A. Thuney moved from left guard to left tackle, which is something he did during the Chiefs’ playoff run last year that ended in a Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. Meanwhile, Jordan McFadden (who played two offensive snaps coming into Sunday’s game) slotted in at left guard.
So, did the move work?
Well, it certainly didn’t blow up in the Bears’ face. The offensive line in pass protection was, for the most part, solid all night. Caleb was kept relatively clean in the pocket, and there were no glaring mistakes in protecting the quarterback. However, in the run game, the unit seemed to struggle. Jordan McFadden wasn’t a problem, for what it’s worth. He ended up with an overall PFF grade of 63.9. Not great, but not terrible either.
But while McFadden held his own, I can’t help but think that the decision to bump Thuney out to left tackle essentially negatively affected three positions instead of one.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesDid Ben Johnson’s OL Decision Help Or Hurt?
I do want to say that I don’t necessarily blame Ben Johnson for the decision he made. And I’m by no means saying that decision cost the Bears the game. It didn’t. However, that unit took a step back from where it was with a healthy Ozzy Trapilo. With that being said, I do think its performance was good enough to win last night. It was far from perfect, but it wasn’t brutal.
Having said that, I feel moving Thuney out to left tackle was a bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul. By moving Thuney outside, not only were you now without your starting left tackle, but you were also without your All-Pro left guard, and also affecting your starting center, who had been very good all year.
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Everyone talks about how helpful Thuney was for the growth of Ozzy Trapilo, and he was. Getting to play next to Thuney was instrumental in Trapilo’s development. But Thuney also helped Drew Dalman quite a bit. Whether it was in the run game or in pass protection, Dalman playing next to someone like Thuney helps so much. There’s a lot less to worry about, there’s chemistry, and there’s the ability to know that you just have to do your job and not worry about the guy next to you.
I feel like making the changes they did might have affected that chemistry. I think instead of throwing Benedet out there and giving them extra help, while keeping that continuity in the other four spots, the Bears sacrificed being at full strength at three different starting positions.
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Not that PFF grades are the end-all, be-all for offensive line play, but I think they were telling. Dalman logged his worst overall grade of the season (44.1). Granted, his 51.5 grade against Green Bay in the Wild Card round wasn’t outstanding either, but that is beside the point. Back to Thuney, who gave the Bears a very admirable performance in pass protection with a 76.1 grade. Howeveer, his run blocking grade was a 47.9.
This post isn’t meant to knock Joe Thuney, by the way. If anything, I’m trying to express just how incredibly valuable he is to this Bears offensive line at left guard. The fact that he was able to slide to left tackle on short notice and go up against one of the better edge rushers in the league is wildly impressive.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesBen Johnson had an incredibly tough decision to make last night. And who knows, it still may have ended up being the right one. He knows his personnel better than any of us do. For what it’s worth, the decision absolutely worked out protecting Caleb Williams.
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But the Bears’ inability to run the ball consistently and pick up first downs in short-yardage situations really hurt them last night, and part of me wonders if just keeping four of the five starters the same and loading up Theo Benedet with help on the left side wouldn’t have been the better course of action. We’ll never know, and that’s OK.
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Ben Johnson is an incredible head coach, and I couldn’t be more thrilled he’s leading the Bears and Caleb Williams for the foreseeable future. Whether that singular decision was right or wrong isn’t going to change that one iota.
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