NEWSLETTER
Chicago Bears’ quarterback Mike Glennon may not be pleased with the developing situation below him on the depth chart – known as Mitch Trubisky – but assuming there is no open competition for the starting job, Glennon, the presumed starter, can find comfort in the offensive linemen starting in front of him.
Over at Pro Football Focus, Daniel Cohen has some encouraging tidbits for the Chicago Bears and their quarterback. Specifically, Cohen notes that the Bears’ offensive line finished with the sixth best pass blocking grade in 2016, representing a major improvement from their 21st overall rankings in each of the previous two seasons. This should be music to Glennon’s ears, of course, because like any quarterback, Glennon performs better with a clean pocket in front of him.
In 2013, Glennon posted a 101 rating when kept clean and followed it up with a 100.1 rating a year later. On the other hand, Glennon struggled when pressured – which is obviously far from shocking, but the fall-off in production in a dirty pocket was mighty steep:
Under Pressure QB Ratings:
On average, that’s a ridiculous 44.7 point differential.
When he was Tampa Bay’s starter in 2013 and 2014, the team’s average pass blocking grade ranked 22nd in the NFL, according to PFF. And for what it’s worth, the 2016 Buccaneers offensive line ranked 23rd overall, while the Bears ranked 15th – and I could even make an argument that there is room for improvement this season.
The Bears’ are solid up the middle with PFF’s sixth rated center (Cody Whitehair), and a tandem of guards that ranked 10th (Josh Sitton) and 28th (Kyle Long) in 2016. While tackles Bobby Massie and Charles Leno Jr. leave something to be desired, GM Ryan Pace added to the offensive line mix with rookies Jordan Morgan, Dieugot Joseph, and Mitchell Kirsch, as well as free agents Tom Compton and Bradley Sowell.
Perhaps someone from that group steps up and challenges or even overtakes one of the returning tackles on the outside and provides improved production at the position.
In either case, it looks like making the move from the Bucs to the Bears should be an upgrade for Glennon. Now, it’s up to him to take advantage of the situation, like he has in the past.
