The Chicago Bears interior offensive line has played well, but they have not seen a test like Grady Jarrett yet
One of the biggest developments in the Chicago Bears 2-0 start in the impact of their interior offensive line. Germain Ifedi coming in and taking over for Rashaad Coward has been a major upgrade, and James Daniels staying at left guard this season has had an impact as well. Beyond that, the team is more committed to the run, and their new run scheme.
On one hand, you have to applaud these two. On the other, it is fair to note the Detroit Lions pass rush has been bad under Matt Patricia, and the New York Giants have some young talent, but nothing elite.
The Atlanta Falcons defensive line is not much better overall, but from a matchup standpoint, there is one player who stands to have a strong day. Grady Jarrett flies under the radar for some but is an elite interior lineman for others.
He plays with a low center of gravity and physical hand usage to get into the backfield. His play over the past two weeks has been reminiscent of Akiem Hicks. Do not believe me, here are their stats over the past three years?
| Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Fumb | Fumb | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | AV | G | Solo | Ast | QBHits | TFL | Sk | FF | FR |
| 1 | Akiem Hicks | 16 | 23 | 56 | 17 | 23 | 15 | 10.5 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Grady Jarrett | 18 | 32 | 68 | 63 | 35 | 21 | 15.0 | 5 | 1 |
Provided by Stathead.com: View Stathead Tool Used
Generated 9/23/2020.
So far this season Jarrett has seven pressures, and two sacks, Hicks has six pressures and two sacks. According to PFF, Jarrett has a 6.3 pass-rush productivity rating, and Hicks has a 5.8.
This is not to tear down Hicks but highlight the type of player Jarrett is. Like a younger Hicks, he is being overshadowed by the rest of the defense not living up to his skill.
Beyond that, he has been dominant in the run. The play below does not show up in any stat sheet, but it turned a simple run play into a loss for Dallas as Jarrett redirects Ezekiel Elliott to the outside after manhandling Connor Williams.
Williams is not an elite guard but has profiled similarly to James Daniels in the NFL ups and downs as a young player. Daniels has had two games without huge errors, but when Dexter Lawrence challenged him with power, he still has his issues. Daniels has mainly been able to excel due to the new scheme. However, Jarrett is a player who can blow up lateral plays, but also play sideline to sideline as well. This is what puts him in that elite interior lineman category.
What also makes Jarrett dangerous is that he will be testing Daniels and Ifedi in this game. According to PFF, he has lined up over the right guard on 36% of his snaps, and the left guard on 48%. He even has 16 snaps, or 9% of his snaps against tackles, both right and left. Still, that means that Daniels will see him the most, and Ifedi will get a heavy dose as well.
Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence are great players, but both were the appetizer for Grady Jarett who brings a four-course meal of destruction. We will have a much stronger learning point on the upside of this duo after Sunday.