NEWSLETTER
Cody Whitehair left Monday’s loss against the Rams with a calf injury, but Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy doesn’t have any specific updates regarding his center’s status.
However, Nagy offered up (via Patrick Finley) that Whitehair’s injury wasn’t believed to be a long-term problem and that he was considered day-to-day. But if it *IS* a problem, Nagy said (per Jeff Joniak) that second-year center Sam Mustipher would start in his place.
Mustipher played 26 snaps on Monday, which isn’t enough for me to put much stock into the 49.6 grade PFF gave him. But that the Bears are set to turn to a second-year undrafted free agent is a cause for concern.
With all due respect to Mustipher, this is a worst-case scenario for the Bears’ offensive line. This group, which was already without starting left guard James Daniels, is coming off its ugliest performance of the year. The Rams bullied the Bears up front all night, creating pressures at nearly every turn. Aaron Donald roughed up Chicago’s interior line. Leonard Floyd crashed from the edge. And quarterback Nick Foles was ultimately sacked four times and hit eight more times. In other words, I imagine Saints defenders are licking their chops reading this news.
Nevertheless, we’ll have more later today when the injury report drops. Perhaps, by then, the team will have an update on how Whitehair is feeling. Maybe it’ll even be an encouraging one. We’ll see.
