Chicago Bears: Team needs to change plan at center

The Chicago Bears insist on using Cody Whitehair at center despite his problems snapping the ball. It’s time for them to scrap that plan and use the natural center they already have on the roster.

The Chicago Bears spent the offseason providing quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the weapons and guidance he needs to succeed. General manager Ryan Pace got him new coaches, receivers, a tight end. He also did some work on the offensive line to help keep him upright.

That last one is where there is some concern. Yes, the Bears had a better offensive line last year than most give them credit for. They also picked a lineman in the draft, James Daniels, and red-shirted one from last season, Jordan Morgan, who’s ready to help this season.

The problem is at center, though. The Bears have Cody Whitehair at the starting spot. Whitehair had a pretty good rookie season filling in at center. Last season, however, he struggled a bit, mostly at snapping the ball.

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Even in his good rookie season, Whitehair had some bad snaps. That problem was more evident last season. This training camp, though, the problem is getting huge. In his first two seasons, his snapping wasn’t a problem because of the pedestrian offense the Bears ran under former head coach John Fox. This season, however, the Bears under new head coach Matt Nagy run a modern-day offense that depends on timing.

A bad snap ruins that timing. So far during training camp, Whitehair’s snaps have been off. He’s had snaps too high, too low and too wide. This is a big problem.

The troubles continued on the field. Whitehair not only had trouble with snaps in the Bears’ preseason against the Cincinnati Bengals but also with blocking. It’s getting alarming.

For his part, Trubisky has Whitehair’s back, per the Chicago Daily Herald:

"I’m not worried about Cody one bit. He’s a heck of a player. I love having him on the O-line and (as) our center."

It’s time to scrap the “Cody Whitehair is a center” idea. They already have a natural center on the roster who is pretty good, and that is Daniels. He played center at the University of Iowa. Whitehair did an admirable job filling in, but the center position isn’t something that comes naturally to him.

So to recap the Bears have a center who is a guard and a guard who is a center. What is the point of that? They did a good job of forming a modern, up-tempo offense, something rarely seen in Chicago. Why risk the chance of messing things up by playing men out of position?

This could be a very exciting season. It could be the start of a new era in Chicago Bears history. They shouldn’t try to over-think things and end up causing unnecessary trouble.

Whitehair probably starts at center again against the Denver Broncos this week. What they should do is play him at guard and be ready to come in at center if needed. His troubles seem to be creeping into his head. Put him at his natural position and have him relax. It’ll be best for all parties involved.