Chicago Bears Statistical Breakdown: offensive guard
How did the Chicago Bears fare at the offensive guard position in 2017?
The Chicago Bears guards were strong on paper, but did they follow that up on the field? Injuries had a lot to do with their issues.
Kyle Long started in just nine games. For the second straight season, injuries put him on the sideline for longer than expected. Even when he was on the field, it did not feel like the same old Long. Long did not allow a sack, but Pro Football Focus graded him out as a 73, which is average player based on their scale. It also has him 28th amongst guards. You can imagine Long will be working to fix that.
Josh Sitton was a bit more fortunate, being able to play in 13 games. Still, missed games hurt him and some of the injuries seemed to linger during the season. He finished with just one sack allowed. PFF was impressed with what he was able to bring in. Sitton graded out at an 86, which is high quality at the guard position. It was enough to peg him as the sixth best guard in the league.
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With their injuries, Tom Compton and Bradley Sowell played a lot of guard. Sowell got some time at guard, but also played tackle. However, he graded out with as the 40th best guard according to PFF, which was a below average guard. Compton stepped in for Long for the most part, and saw 342 snaps. It was not pretty for the most part. Compton graded out at a 45, which equated him to the 47th best guard. That, obviously, was enough to warrant him with a poor season by their standards.