Blocking Bears: Ranking the Offensive Line Through Week 3

In this article, we rank the Chicago Bears offensive linemen based on their performances through their Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. 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 the check into our offensive line film review on YouTube.

1. Darnell Wright - Right Tackle

Previous Rank: 1 (no change)

Darnell Wright takes the top spot with a grade of 66.1 (slightly above average). He had a good, not great performance against the Colts. Wright's pass-blocking skill and want to was consistently on display, but his errors as a run blocker popped up a handful of times. In pass protection, Wright did a nice job limiting the Colts' EDGE rushers with his mirror, hand usage, and anchor. He did cede a little bit more ground than usual in his anchor against the bull rush, but that was probably to be expected against the larger base-end rushers the Colts sent at him.

Wright does a good job playing long and is the king of winning ugly. There were certainly a few instances of that this week, but a win is still a win. Wright and Matt Pryor worked well to pick up stunts that came their way.

As a run blocker, Wright had an up-and-down day. When the Bears leaned into duo run concepts, his power was evident as he cleared the way and drove combo blocks. He struggled more in space though, with a goal-line whiff and a rep where he appeared to run the wrong play. Wright's run blocking has never been a strength and might never be a strength in a zone-blocking scheme. But the Bears might have something running more duo and gap concepts.

Overall, I am glad to see Wright continue to clean up in pass protection when facing more average EDGE rooms. Wright has the talent to elevate his play against better players, but that might not be the case this season given the recently disclosed back injury.

Wright's season block success rate of 83.67% ranks first on the team. He has recorded an above-average rep on 27.6% of snaps, ranking third on the team. Meanwhile, Wright has recorded negative reps on a team-best 16.3% of plays. He has been the least damaging player on the offensive line through the first three games.

2. Teven Jenkins - Left Guard

Previous Rank: 3 (+1)

Jenkins moved up one spot in the rankings despite a few ugly misses in Week 3. He comes in second with a 60.8 blocking grade (average). In Week 3, he improved his season-long pass block grade significantly while his run block grade declined.

Tev had a nice day in pass protection. He paired with Coleman Shelton to double-team the DT on the left side of the formation often. The duo was forced to sort out a handful of stunts and blitzes, most of which they handled cleanly. There was one stunt that got them because the interior players fell to different depths, but there was real improvement on that front.

As a run blocker, Teven had a few uncharacteristic misses. The Bears ran a lot of duo, combining Teven and Shelton as run blockers. I think the timing and level of aggression between the two are still growing because they didn't generate the type of push I was expecting. That is something that should (hopefully) get better with more reps working combos together.

Tev had a few issues with Raekwon Davis' length, but I think his run block grades (40.8 RBLK per PFF; 48.3 RBLK per me) are a little uglier than the tape. Overall, it was a good day at the office for Tev aside from a few busts in the run game. It was nice to see them sort out most of the stunts after the last few weeks. I expect to see his run-blocking return to form, but it needs to happen soon.

Teven's block success rate of 81.63% ranks second on the team. Jenkins has recorded an above-average rep on 22.5% of snaps while recording negative reps on 18.4% of plays. He is sixth on the team in above-average play rate but has the second-lowest rate of below-average plays. The lack of difference-making blocks has been noticeable. Last season, he was the best and most impactful blocker on the team. While I believe Teven will be better than this in the future, I am starting to wonder whether a more pass-centric offense shines a light on some of his limitations.

3. Matt Pryor - Right Guard

Previous Rank: N/A

Newly anointed starter Matt Pryor comes in third with a 60.0 blocking grade (average). Pryor stepped into the right guard on Sunday and played well enough against a weaker Colts defensive line. While I see the potential for some future issues, I'm not going to harp on those until they become more apparent.

Against the Colts, Pryor added relative value to the offensive line. His intense power was on display as he put defenders in the dirt and shocked them with a jarring punch. However, it was not all sunshine and roses. Pryor struggled with run-blocking concepts.

Pryor is a slower and less decisive mover than Nate Davis, making him less effective on reach blocks and climbs to the second level. He was effective at driving with power on duo concepts but his tall, wide frame was awkward in smaller quarters. Because of that, it was difficult for him to climb off those duo blocks cleanly and with good positioning.

In pass protection, Pryor jarred and stopped the Colts DTs on most reps. He handled most of the stunts cleanly despite turning his shoulders too often. He can make up for positioning with his length, but his margin for error is thin due to his slower play speed. There were a handful of moments where his play speed impacted his ability to recover in reps against more athletic rushers.

There were also a few reps where his pad level was too high, allowing defenders to drive him into the pocket. His wide frame and power make it easier for him to lose slowly in pass protection and to dominate smaller DTs in the run game. I worry about how slippery athletes with more pass-rush skills could beat him. There was one rep where he allowed a sack after losing the hand-fighting battle and potentially anticipating a stunt, allowing the DT to slip by him cleanly for a free run on the passer.

I am interested to see how Pryor handles bigger tests against skilled hand fighters like the Rams Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. Pryor's block success rate of 76.32% is fourth on the team. He recorded above-average reps 27.6% of the time, ranking second on the team. His negative rep rate of 23.7% ranks the third-lowest rate on the team.

4. Braxton Jones - Left Tackle

Previous Rank: 2 (-2)

The Bears starting left tackle, Braxton Jones, comes in fourth with a 59.6 blocking grade (average). He fell two slots in the rankings since Week 2. Jones continues to be polarizing in pass protection for me. He rarely loses straight up, but he gets walked back into the pocket too often. These plays are frustrating because he is in front of the rusher and slowing them down, but he is eating into the pocket space within 3-seconds of the snap.

On Sunday, there were a few instances of him using jump sets and being proactive with his hands to throw the rushers off their tracks. I want to see him use those long arms to dictate the rep more often. I see him allowing defenders into his chest without having the anchor to sit down at contact. He has the contact balance to slow everything down, but I am constantly left wanting more. This could be how the coaches want him to set in pass protection though.

A part of me wonders if Braxton's play style was more acceptable with a QB like Justin Fields who was more likely to break the pocket and run at the first sign of pressure. With Caleb being more pocket-oriented, this style of play could be a bigger issue.

As a run blocker, Jones was fine in this game. He was not tasked with making many difficult blocks, mostly tasked with getting in the way or keeping the EDGE defender out of the play. I would have liked to see more authority on some duo runs to keep his lane clean, but that is nitpicking. He also had some nice moments in the infamous goal-line series to drive defenders on combos with Teven.

Braxton's block success rate of 80.31% is third on the team. He has recorded above-average reps 24.4% of the time, ranking fourth on the team. His negative rep rate of 19.7% ranks as the third-lowest rate on the team.

5. Coleman Shelton - Center

Previous Rank: 4 (-1)

Coleman Shelton drops to the fifth spot due to Matt Pryor playing his first significant snaps of the season. Shelton comes in with a grade of 55.8 (below average). The Bears center had a less noticeable game than the first two weeks of the season. There were still issues, but the Bears had a game plan that was MUCH more friendly to Shelton.

Many of his blocks in both pass protection and the run game were combo blocks with Teven Jenkins. This allowed Shelton to dig out defenders with better hand position and leverage while Tev held the point. The Bears ran a fair amount of duo with mixed results from Shelton. He was caught turning his shoulders too often and still struggled to generate push, but it was better than it had been previously.

The stunt pickups were cleaner, but there were two stunts where I thought Shelton had some fault for pressure. One was well designed and I couldn't knock him TOO much for it. The other appeared to be an issue with the blocking depth somewhere on the interior. He did have one good play I want to highlight. On the TD pass to Rome Odunze, Shelton got just enough of a blitzing backer to give Caleb time to get the throw-off. The Colts targeted Shelton on the blitz, with their nose tackle grabbing him and the blitzer trying to fly by.

In the run game, Shelton had some plus plays in space and on combo blocks. However, they were offset by multiple plays where his lack of power impacted the Bears ability to open and maintain rushing lanes. Overall, it was a more serviceable game from Shelton. I am left wanting more at the position, but it's a step in the right direction. Being flanked by two jumbo-sized guards certainly helped the Bears scheme around Shelton's limitations, but the run game may have suffered some because of it.

Shelton's block success rate of 77.9% ranks fourth on the team. He has recorded an above-average rep on 23.6% of snaps, which ranks fifth on the team. Meanwhile, he has recorded a negative rep on 22.1% of snaps, ranking right in the middle of the seven offensive linemen analyzed. His negative reps tend to be the loudest on the team, though.

6. Nate Davis - Right Guard

Previous Rank: 5 (-1)

Davis ranks sixth on the Bears, posting an overall grade of 55.6 (below average). Davis has a block success rate of 75.29%, ranking sixth on the team. He has recorded above-average reps 28.2% of the time, which is the best rate on the team. But Davis has recorded negative reps on 24.7% of plays, the second-worst rate on the team. His grade is polarizing, considering the higher volume of positive and negative plays, with a lower rate of "Fine" plays. Maybe this is what Davis is at this point in his career, though. I struggle to envision him suddenly becoming more consistent.

7. Ryan Bates - Right Guard

Previous Rank: 6 (-1)

Bates ranks 7th with a grade of 45 (Bad). In Week 1, I saw a player who is more limited with his body mechanics and less able to reach blocks on time. He seemed very assignment-sound but limited in his ability to win those assignments.

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 on the team by a wide margin. Further, he has recorded negative reps on 25.7% of snaps, the highest rate on the team. I am interested in seeing Bates at center once he returns from injury. His anchor and play strength have to be better than Shelton's.

Final Thoughts

Through Week 3, the Bears best five offensive linemen are Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Matt Pryor, Braxton Jones, and Coleman Shelton. The Bears pass-blocking concepts and execution have quietly improved over the last three weeks. That could be based on opponent strength, but the film shows a unit playing much cleaner than at the start of the year.

Chicago Bears Average Pass Blocking Stats by week

The run-blocking has also improved, but not enough. I thought the Bears did a much better job scheming to the unit's strengths in Week 3. However, the results were muddied by major busts, running back vision issues, and general sloppiness. I hope to see them continue to lean into duo as a staple because they have the power to make it work. And I question how much outside zone you can expect to run with Pryor playing RG.

Chicago Bears Average Run Blocking Stats by week