Answer Finally Revealed Why Bears Want Ryan Bates At Center

It was a surprise when the Chicago Bears sent a 5th round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Ryan Bates. Everybody remembered how the team tried signing him as a restricted free agent in 2022. That didn’t pan out. Two years later, GM Ryan Poles smelled an opportunity to get somebody he had a high opinion of. So, the trade was made. People weren’t sure about what Bates’ role in Chicago would be. He’d spent the vast majority of his career as a guard. The Bears already have those two spots solidified with Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis. It seemed unlikely they’d trade a 5th rounder for a backup guard.

That was when word filtered out that they planned on shifting him to center. Bates does have some experience there from his time in Buffalo, but not a lot. It was hard to understand why the team was doing this rather than seeking out somebody with a longer track record at the position. Widely respected tape analyst Brett Kollman of The Film Room provided an answer on 670 The Score. It starts with the scheme Chicago will run under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, particularly on the ground.

“A lot of inside zone. Boy, a lot, lot, lot of inside zone. They’re going to pound the rock pretty consistently. You’re going to see a lot of what’s called split zone where tight end’s going to be off and they come across the back side of the run scheme and they kick out the back side edge player to create that cutback lane. That’s going to turn into some really fun RPO (run-pass option) looks, some really fun play action looks. I’d be willing to bet that Caleb’s going to be under center a lot more than he was used to at USC.”

Inside zone is a common staple for modern offenses.

It is basically meant to generate movement between the tackles. For that to work, you need a center who can move defensive linemen off their spots and be athletic enough to reach the second level. Bates demonstrated in Buffalo that he was capable of both.

Ryan Bates has the necessary traits for this offense.

Nobody will tab him as the biggest and most athletic on the field, but he has enough of specific traits to make him a good fit for Shane Waldron’s scheme. He has a mix of upper-body strength and lower-body explosion to drive defenders off the ball and doesn’t struggle to move in space. This allows him to pick off linebackers and defensive backs at the second level. The Bears got a glimpse of this capability when Bates started at center in 2022 against them at Soldier Field. He was a constant thorn in their side the entire afternoon.

This is another lesson that football isn’t a normal sport. Unlike baseball or basketball, you can’t just take a talented player, throw him on another roster, and expect him to produce. Football is more intricate. The player can’t only be talented. He must be a good fit for the schemes you run. Lucas Patrick would never have been a good fit for an inside-zone system. Ryan Bates is. He may not be their long-term answer at the position, but he should be able to help everybody function at a high enough level.