The Chicago Bears worked hard to completely revamp the center position this offseason. Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair were not welcomed back to the roster. General manager Ryan Poles completed the overhaul by acquiring Ryan Bates from the Buffalo Bills through trade, and also signed Coleman Shelton following his release from the Los Angeles Rams.
Bates and Shelton offer the Bears high-upside options, but there are question marks surrounding both veterans. Bates has never logged more than 135 snaps at center in a single campaign. Shelton struggled in 2023, hence his release from the Rams. Pro Football Focus assigned him a pass-blocking grade of 48.9 as he was credited with allowing 34 quarterback pressures.
If Poles is unconvinced by Bates and/or Shelton following mandatory minicamp, an intriguing free-agent option just re-emerged as a potential option. Connor Williams is still available on the market largely because he suffered a season-ending ACL injury with the Miami Dolphins in Week 11 last season. Williams' agent is Drew Rosenhaus, who recently proclaimed that his client will be healthy in time for training camp.
Connor Williams update: Agent Drew Rosenhaus says he will be ready for #TrainingCamp after tearing his ACL in Week 11 last year. He added a deal with the Dolphins is “unlikely.” Williams is looking to play center, not guard like he did with Cowboys. #nflfreeagency #finsup pic.twitter.com/SYKfZXeRUw
— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) June 24, 2024
Williams was enjoying an elite season before his injury. PFF assigned him a 90.5 run-blocking grade. He was their second-highest graded center in that department trailing just Frank Ragnow. In fairness, Shelton placed 12th with a 74.6. The big difference was in pass pro, where Williams scored a 71.7 versus Shelton's aforementioned 48.9.
