5 Chicago Bears who must improve after bye

2. Cody Whitehair

There is nothing you can say about Whitehair in 2020 other than it has been a huge disappointment. Like many, Whitehair looked fine against the first three defensive lines he faced. The Indianapolis Colts have one of the best in the NFL, and Grover Stewart beat Cody Whitehair up all game. That game went down as one of the three worst of Cody Whitehair’s career.

The issue is that since that game Whitehair has not rebounded, which he usually does. Whitehair struggled against a healthy Vita Vea and the Bucs and played average against the Panthers. This did not set off alarms. However, after an injury against the Rams in a poorly played game, it was fair to wonder if he had been banged up since the Colts game and tried to fight through it.

The issue is that Whitehair missed two games and came back against the Vikings. The Vikings do not feature Vea, Stewart, or Aaron Donald, three guys who have dominated him this year. Still, Whitehair played just as poorly against the Vikings as he did in any of those three games.

Whitehair could be dealing with the calf injury, and after being on the COVID-19 list, he may not be in the best health right now. Still, the last five games have been the worst five-game streak of his career. Could a bye week get him healthy and back on track to perform to close out the year?