At this time last year, the dust was settling on Bears left tackle Charles Leno Jr.’s contract extension – a move that was both (1) sensible from a salary cap perspective and (2) brought stability to an important position on the offensive line and security to Mitch Trubisky’s blindside – though it was not necessarily well-received by some Bears fans.
Of course, since then, all Leno has done to prove them wrong produce his best season as a pro (by PFF’s standards), while identifying himself as a durable left tackle, capable of replacing Jermon Bushrod.
But lately, it’s become evident that Leno isn’t stopping there:
Joe Staley has been getting it done in pass-protection this preseason. pic.twitter.com/J6wLSi8uIF
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) August 23, 2018
Hello.
As you can see in the Tweet above, Leno owns Pro Football Focus’ best pass-blocking grade for offensive tackles this preseason. And while preseason results might not matter in the grand scheme of things (1) it’s better than the alternative and (2) Leno finds himself in good company ahead of Joe Staley, a six-time Pro Bowl tackle who has long been regarded as one of the best at the position. If Leno can maintain this production into the regular season, it could do wonders for the Bears’ offense.
And it’s not just the pass-protection, either. Leno has been a strong blocker in the running game. PFF grades him as one of the NFL’s best run-blocking tackles, so it’s probably not a coincidence that Jordan Howard averaged 4.7 yards per carry running left (3.5 running right) and 4.4 on attempts down the left sideline (3.2 down the right sideline).
Yep, it seems Leno is truly growing into his own as he enters his fifth NFL season, and the best could still be yet to come. Former Bears GM Phil Emery didn’t knock too many picks out of the park when he was running the show in the draft room, but nabbing Leno in the seventh round back in 2014 appears to be the gift that keeps on giving.