Bears: Matt Eberflus says exactly what Lucas Patrick needed to hear
The Chicago Bears signed veteran offensive lineman Lucas Patrick last year with the idea he'd be a big part of the offensive line overhaul. Flash forward a year later and all of a sudden, Patrick's status with the team is cloudy. The Bears added Nate Davis over the offseason and have publicly declared the plan […]
The Chicago Bears signed veteran offensive lineman Lucas Patrick last year with the idea he'd be a big part of the offensive line overhaul.
Flash forward a year later and all of a sudden, Patrick's status with the team is cloudy. The Bears added Nate Davis over the offseason and have publicly declared the plan to move Cody Whitehair from guard to center -Patrick's position- so Teven Jenkins can occupy the other guard position opposite Davis.
"Cody's got a wealth of experience and he's played the position before, so it's not a stretch for him to be in there," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters Tuesday. "I think he feels more comfortable in there. Any time you go from guard and moving back to center, I think it just takes some time, but he's doing a nice job."
With Whitehead ahead of him on the depth chart, Patrick is currently set to make $3.8 million as a backup, which is a pretty penny in context. The Bears can save nearly $4 million with his release, as well, and that obviously adds another layer of seriousness to the mix.
Eberflus' recent comments about Patrick should have the seventh-year player feeling pretty good about his future as a Bear, though. The second-year head coach gave him an endorsement on Tuesday that sounded like more than just typical coachspeak.
"The experience. That you have somebody inside there that can move from guard to center and then center to guard, you know, on both sides," Eberflus said when asked about Patrick's value. "To have a guy like that, that it's easy for him to do do that. As we know, during the course of the season, there's going to be guys in different combinations because there's going to be injury. We have to deal with that and to have a guy that has the experience is certainly valuable.
"… I think he's a good fit at either. I really do."
It makes 100% sense to keep Patrick on the roster for the exact reasons Eberflus mentions and it's very likely he will stay on board in 2023. As Eberflus mentions, Patrick can provide quality snaps as a depth player at either center or guard. He would certainly be one of the top backups for either spot if someone were to go down for a short or extended period of time.
Plus, Patrick really knows the offense because he's been in it since 2019, when Luke Getsy was quarterbacks coach of the Green Bay Packers. It's not just his second year in the system like a lot of the other guys – he has this system down pat. We all know how key cohesiveness is along the offensive line and having a guy like that who can quickly step in and completely understand all the shifts, calls, and changes is big.
It's not like the Bears absolutely need the $4 million in savings, either. Yes, it's a lot to pay a backup offensive lineman, but it's a luxury they can afford and if there is ever a position to have solid depth at, it's along the offensive line.
What happens after 2023 is anyone's guess, but Patrick should feel good about sticking around in Chicago for at least one more year.
