As the Chicago Bears have finished their ninth game, they are over halfway through the season. Still, they are in week nine of 18 with a bye week included, so this truly is the halfway mark. During the quarter-pole, we looked into which players were big surprises and disappointments.
So, now that we are deeper into the season, where do these players stand? Who are the big disappointments?
3. Angelo Blackson is losing time for the Chicago Bears
During the offseason, we questioned if Angelo Blackson could go from a role player to a full-time starter. The answer to that has obviously been no. He is not the reason the run defense is awful, but he is the lowest-rated interior lineman and is right with Dominque Robinson, a rookie who grades poorly because he bites on everything.
The good news is that the Chicago Bears see that Blackson has been struggling, and they are doing something about it. Over the past five games, his snap rates are 38%, 54%, 60%, 41%, and 32%. On the flip side, Armon Watts is at 47%, 47%, 40%, 53%, and 65%.
So, three of the last five games, and the last two games have favored Watts over Angelo Blackson. Watts has been better in about every phase, so this does make sense.
Still, this is a big letdown for Blackson. He may end up being better when he is back to a rotational role, but in a chance to earn a starting spot, he failed. Beyond that, a player who was cut after training camp has unseated him.
2. Velus Jones is inactive for the Chicago Bears
This one is probably the most obvious and the one that has the fans buzzing the most. When the Chicago Bears drafted Velus Jones in the third round, it was pretty questionable to say the least. Now, it is looking even worse.
The age is not an issue, although he is older than N’Keal Harry and Chase Claypool. Still, the issue was that he had to be much older and more physically mature than his competition to ever have success at college. That will never happen in the NFL.
Still, as noted, with Harry and Claypool now in the mix, they are the young players with upside, not quite Jones. Jones has failed to beat out Dante Pettis as a punt returner, and both Pettis and Equanimeous St. Brown are much deeper into the playbook than Jones is as well.
Jones can only run gadget plays designed for him, and he does not provide special teams value. This is a huge disappointment, and it is not surprising the team has made him inactive. This will probably not continue all season, but he has not earned anything, and he has to prove himself.
1. Injuries have derailed a huge season for Lucas Patrick
This one may not be fair because injuries have really been the culprit. Still, the Chicago Bears talked as if they signed their center of the future with Lucas Patrick. He gave Justin Fields a few game snaps, and that is it. They have relied solely on Sam Mustipher.
First, he injured his thumb, so he could not snap. Patrick played through it, but honestly, he hurt the team. He was playing out of position, and it was blocking Teven Jenkins, who is not the best lineman the Chicago Bears have.
When they moved him to center, Cody Whitehair got hurt, and he had to bounce to left guard. He was even worse at left guard than right guard. Then, he got hurt.
A lot of this is out of his control. He is hurt, and for almost the entire season he is out of position. Still, from the fans’ point of view, the whole situation is a huge letdown.
The Chicago Bears thought the Sam Mustipher experiment would be over, and many thought he would get cut. Now, he is on pace to start the entire season for the Chicago Bears. That was not expected.