The Chicago Bears gave up too soon on Charles Leno
Fans wanted to run Charles Leno out of town. Too many thought he was a liability despite being an alternate at the Pro Bowl in 2018. His 2019 season was not his greatest and fans started to lose confidence and trust in Leno. He finished the year with 13 penalties and allowed five sacks. Despite bouncing back in 2020, the Chicago Bears did not retain the veteran left tackle and he moved on to the Washington Commanders.
In his first season in Washington (2021), Charles Leno was superb. He allowed six sacks, which could have been better, but he limited his penalties to only one. Braxton Jones had a solid season for a rookie last year. Some would say that his performance was even better when basing it on the fact he was a fifth-round draft pick. Well, Charles Leno has been better and more consistent than Jones but isn't given the same recognition. In fact, last season, Braxton Jones had 12 penalties and gave up seven sacks while Leno only had four penalties and gave up eight.
The Chicago Bears have struggled with the offensive line for the last few years. We saw guys like Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins try to play on the outside, but neither played as well as Charles Leno did when on the left side. It's too late now, but it would have been a blessing to keep Leno three years ago, although, I am excited to see this new offensive line at work.