Chicago Bears offseason stock watch: Charles Leno
Where does the stock stand on the Chicago Bears starting left tackle heading into the start of 2019?
We sure have come a long way from the days of fans calling for Leno to be benched. An unheralded prospect without much pedigree, many saw Leno as a player who was starting because the franchise could not find better options.
However, as Ryan Pace has grown, and Mitch Trubisky, Matt Nagy and other pieces have pushed this franchise to higher places, the game of Leno has grown as well. A contract that was once looked at as a leap of faith turned out to be one of the best current bargains in the NFL landscape, considering his left tackle value.
Now, Leno enters the year with Harry Hiestand as his coach for the second straight season. He will see a new face next to him, but it is long-time running mate Cody Whitehair who is shifting from center to guard. This is expected to improve the play of Whitehair and maybe a nice fit for Leno as well.
On top of that, the team hardly committed to depth on the offensive line. Eric Kush and Bryan Witzmann walked and Ted Larsen along with a heap of UDFAs came in to replace them. Rashaad Coward is the only player on the roster with a legitimate claim to starting at tackle in the future, and he has almost exclusively worked at right tackle.
Leno went from a man on the roster bubble to a league-wide bargain, unheralded starter, and potential player to improve in 2019. Not a bad time for Leno.