Blocking Bears: Ranking the Offensive Line Through Week 5

The Chicago Bears offensive line is no different than any team in the league. No individual performance stands above the cohesion of the group. Because the offensive line is not about individuals. It is about working as one. However, we need to be able to assess players on a stand-alone basis to determine where the Bears need to improve going forward.

In this article, we rank the Bears offensive linemen based on their performances through their Week 5 win over the Carolina Panthers. To build out my grading system, I watched each game five times. Once for each position on the offensive line. I use a 5-tier grading system, ranking each rep as Great, Good, Fine, Poor, or Bad. Then, I used these tiers to generate the final grades and block success rates. For grading purposes, 60 is considered average.

Additionally, I have included videos for each player. These include every positive and negative rep from the previous game, omitting the "Fine" reps. And make sure to check out the Bears On Tap offensive line film review on YouTube.

1 . Darnell Wright - Right Tackle

Previous Rank: 1 (no change)

Darnell Wright remains in the top spot with a grade of 64.4 (slightly above average) despite Bill Murray posting the best grade on the team (73.6). I used my judgment to drop Murray down to 3rd due to the small sample size.

Against the Panthers , Wright had moments of complete dominance, offset by moments of questionable execution. I wonder if he might have been protecting the back injury at times, especially later in the game. Wright had a rough start to the game, but he settled in after the first series and started to play well before having a few more dips and spikes as the day continued.

In pass protection, he had a strong day for the most part. He absorbed and overpowered the Panthers pass rushers, especially once Clowney exited the game. Clowney's length gave Wright some issues early, but he weathered the storm for the most part.

As a run blocker, Wright is becoming a valuable and reliable move blocker for the Bears in short-yardage situations. When asked to work the stack up to the second level, he is inconsistent with his angles and timing. But when he is asked to plow through the line of scrimmage to create a few yards, he is willing and able.

It was a good game from Wright overall. The poor angles and moments where he gets caught up hand fighting on backside zone blocks knocked his grade down a little bit. His ability to move people in short-yardage situations is becoming part of the Bears' offensive identity, especially when paired next to Matt Pryor.

Wright's season block success rate of 81.48% ranks third on the team. He has recorded an above-average rep on 28.09% of snaps, ranking second on the team. Meanwhile, Wright has recorded negative reps on 18.5% of plays, which is third-best on the team.

2 . Teven Jenkins - Left Guard

Previous Rank: 2 (no change)

Jenkins remains in second despite only playing 37 of the team's 74 offensive snaps before exiting the game due to an ankle injury. I should note that he entered the game dealing with a rib injury as well. He has a 63.1 blocking grade (slightly above average). Jenkins was having fun against the Panthers, resembling the guy we saw in 2022 and 2023. Now, he was playing against inferior competition relative to recent weeks, but it was still nice to see him look like his old self.

In pass protection, Teven was solid with no negative reps in his 12 snaps. He showed off impressive anchor on a few of those snaps, giving Caleb plenty of time to read and create. Caleb took more time in the pocket this week and Teven was a part of why that was possible.

As a run blocker, Teven's results were up and down. But when they were up, he was moving people at an impressive rate. Despite the down moments, it was probably the most impressive run-blocking performance from a Bears offensive lineman this season.

Overall, I hope to see more of this from Teven. We saw him play at this level against better competition last year, so there is reason to believe it is possible. But he needs to prove it in the coming weeks after the slow start to the season. Against Carolina, he was a force player in the run game.

Teven's block success rate of 81.89% ranks first on the team. Jenkins has recorded an above-average rep on 24.28% of snaps while recording negative reps on 18.1% of plays. He is fifth on the team in above-average play rate but has the lowest rate of below-average plays.

3 . Bill Murray - Left Guard

Previous Rank: N/A

Bill Murray slots into the third spot despite posting the best grade on the team. His grade comes in at 73.6 (Good), but he was knocked down the rankings due to the limited sample size ( 37 snaps ) against an inferior opponent. I need to repeat that to myself to avoid getting out over my skis. Because Murray put out some impressive pass protection tape on Sunday.

As a pass blocker, he showed a variety of punches, working single-handed and two-handed stabs at initial contact, replicating his hands, and gaining control of reps early. He used good knee bend into contact to gain leverage and maintained good body control to anchor down once gripped. There were very few negative plays from him in pass protection.

In the run game, he was more hit-or-miss. His hand placement on combo blocks was off a few times, leading to limited movement off the LOS. He was both late and early to release off combo blocks, throwing off block timing on a few interior runs. But all of that is fixable. He had some nice pulls into space with a good radar to find and stick targets.

Overall, there is a lot to like on this tape. But I repeat, it was one game against one of the weaker DLs in the league. The Bears owe it to themselves to find out what he can do against other teams. Against the Panthers, he seemed very capable in pass protection, played with excellent motor and effort, and I didn't see anything that would keep him from being a good enough run blocker. That could all come tumbling down against better competition. I am sure coaches have seen him against the Bears starting DTs and have a better idea, but there is only one way for us fans to find out. I hope to see more from Murray shortly.

Murray's block success rate of 81.82% ranks second on the team. He recorded an above-average rep on 36.36% of snaps while recording negative reps on 18.2% of plays. He is first on the team in above-average play rate and has the second-lowest rate of below-average plays.

4 . Matt Pryor - Right Guard

Previous Rank: 4 (no change)

Matt Pryor comes in fourth with a 62.3 blocking grade (average). Pryor did whatever he wanted against the Panthers in Week 5 . That Carolina defensive line simply didn't have anyone who could match his power or who make him pay with their speed.

In pass protection, his heavy hands were noticeable early. Once he got his grip, defenders weren't going anywhere. He also killed a few stunts before they started, throwing his man across the line of scrimmage.

As a run blocker, he was a force player on multiple reps, especially on the goal line. His power was apparent, and the Bears leaned on it often. However, he did have some negative reps as a run blocker related to the usual suspects:

• Mobility in a phone booth
• Speed to the second level
• Ability to swivel into zone blocks

Overall, his size and power are things the Bears can lean on when Pryor is on the field. The limitations aren't going away, but elite traits can offset limitations. Penalties knocked his overall grade down significantly in this game, with three accepted penalties and two more that were declined.

On the season, Pryor's block success rate of 80.5% ranks fourth. He recorded above-average reps 24.5% of the time, ranking fourth on the team. His negative rep rate of 19.5% also comes in at fourth. Overall, you live with a boom-bust nature when Pryor is on the field. But that is still better than a player who busts often without providing much boom.

5 . Braxton Jones - Left Tackle

Previous Rank: 3 (-2)

The Bears starting left tackle, Braxton Jones, comes in fourth with a 59.5 blocking grade (average). He dropped two slots in the rankings due to the emergence of Bill Murray and an overpowering performance from Matt Pryor.

Jones had a solid game against the Panthers. He focused on a few technical improvements in pass protection that I am glad to see. Before going down, Jadaveon Clowney lined up against Braxton more snaps than not, and Braxton held his own for the most part. After Clowney exited the game, Braxton had more consistent success against lower-talent EDGE rushers.

In pass protection, Braxton made a noticeable effort to throw his hands earlier in the rep. It made a difference a handful of times. His anchor continues to be an issue, but there were multiple times when he absorbed power with his hands before getting into his anchor.

As a run blocker, the Bears are starting to use Jones' athletic abilities well in space. He has value as a puller on gap runs and outside in wide zone concepts. He hit a few nice blocks downfield and showed a little more nasty than in recent weeks. However, he did have a few misses where his angle or hand placement cost him the rep.

Overall, it was supposed to be a good day for Braxton against this Panthers defensive line, and he delivered. I cannot get too high or low off of this performance, as there still were too many moments where he was going backward. But I hope he continues to grow his hand usage and makes more effort to win initial contact.

Braxton's block success rate of 78.5% is fifth on the team. He has recorded above-average reps 25.86% of the time, ranking third on the team. His negative rep rate of 21.5% ranks fifth on the team.

6 . Nate Davis - Right Guard

Previous Rank: 5 (-1)

Davis ranks sixth on the Bears, posting an overall grade of 54.9 (poor). Davis is in the dog house, with the team turning to Bill Murray when they needed snaps against the Panthers. He did play four snaps against Carolina, but those did not hit my grading threshold of 10 snaps.

Davis has a block success rate of 77.27%, ranking sixth on the team. He has recorded above-average reps 23.48% of the time, which is the sixth-best rate on the team. Davis has recorded negative reps on 22.7% of reps, also the sixth-best rate on the team. His overall grade takes an extra hit with 3 penalties on only 142 snaps.

Overall, I still see Davis as being a starting-caliber talent . It is just a question of how well he executes the assignments, plays with urgency, and shows good football IQ. As much as I want to believe he can flip a switch, I struggle to envision him suddenly becoming more consistent.

7 . Coleman Shelton - Center

Previous Rank: 6 (-1)

Coleman Shelton drops to the seventh spot due to the emergence of Bill Murray. His grade comes in at 52.7 (poor). Shelton had a solid day in pass protection with some highs and lows as a run blocker against the Panthers. I was hoping to see more from him against a banged-up Panthers defensive line, but his size continues to be a real limitation.

In pass protection, he consistently got the job done. He only had a few clearly positive reps, but he limited the negatives. There were a few instances of him moving backward into the pocket quickly, but not near as often as in previous weeks.

In the run game, Shelton had a handful of nice moments in space. However, he still got bullied a few times at the line of scrimmage. What sticks out is that he is not generating movement when climbing to the second level. To get value out of a smaller, athletic center, they need to be able to dictate direction or create movement against linebackers.

Overall, Shelton was fine in pass protection but I wanted more as a run blocker. His good moments were reassuring that there is value to his skill set, but that value seems outweighed by his size limitations.

Shelton's block success rate of 76.88% ranks seventh on the team. He has recorded an above-average rep on 20.31% of snaps, which ranks seventh on the team. Meanwhile, he has recorded a negative rep on 23.1% of snaps, ranking seventh on the team. Shelton's negative reps tend to be the loudest on the team.

8 . Ryan Bates - Right Guard

Previous Rank: 7 (-1)

Bates ranks 8th with a grade of 45 (Bad). In Week 1 , I saw a player who was limited with his body mechanics and less able to reach blocks on time. But, that was one game with an entire offensive line he never saw live reps with. He seemed very assignment-sound but somewhat limited in his ability to win those assignments. All of those reps came at right guard.

Bates's block success rate of 74.29% ranks last on the team. He has recorded an above-average rep on 8.6% of snaps, ranking last by a wide margin. Further, he has recorded negative reps on 25.7% of snaps, the highest rate on the team. I'm interested to see Bates at center once he returns from injury. His anchor and play strength have to be better than Shelton's.

Final Thoughts

Through Week 5, the Bears' best five offensive linemen are Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Bill Murray, Braxton Jones, and Matt Pryor. The issue with that, though, is none of those players can play center. The pivot continues to be an issue for the Bears despite efforts to bring in stopgaps this offseason.

The Bears' offensive line played very well against a banged-up and limited Panthers' defensive line. I am struggling to put too much weight on this performance because I think this might have been the worst defensive line in the league after Clowney exited the game. But you play who is on the schedule, and the Bears blockers dominated on Sunday.

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