LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Throughout the course of an offseason that could be considered personally challenging, Bears veteran offensive lineman Lucas Patrick has held a great appreciation for where he is and for those around him.
Patrick is no longer listed as a starter on the Bears’ offensive line, and he's currently competing for a reserve role, coach Matt Eberflus said. It would be a disappointing blow for many veteran players, but Patrick is viewing it through a different lens, working to keep proper perspective as he's his second year with the organization.
“It’s what’s best for the team,” Patrick said. “This game is tough when you’re selfish, and it’s beautiful when you let your ego aside. The things that I can learn to be a better husband and father and human, friends and teammate from these circumstances I think are priceless.
“Why not get (Cody Whitehair) back to Pro Bowl level? Like, yes, would I love to be out there and play. But if it’s me pushing Cody to be a Pro Bowl center, I get to walk up to him at the end of the year and be like, ‘Man, I'm so proud of you.’ I feel like a little bit of ownership in that because you achieve something with me pushing you there. Or whether it’s me pushing Teven (Jenkins). I think he can be an All-Pro player. If that’s pushing him to be an All-Pro player that he is, there’s a sense of pride and ownership in that.
“If you can hush your ego and just enjoy everything, enjoy the process, it’s beautiful."
Patrick, 29, signed a two-year deal with the Bears in March 2022 with the hope that he could be the team’s long-term fit at center. He suffered a right hand fracture on the first day of training camp in 2022, and it set the tone for a challenging year. Patrick opened the season with a large protective cast on his right hand and was unable to start at center until doing so in an Oct. 24 game in New England, where he suffered a season-ending toe injury.
Patrick was never truly at his best last season while battling injuries.
“It’s definitely not how you draw it up,” Patrick said. “But any opportunity to play in this league and put on a jersey is a blessing.”
Though the Bears understood Patrick never played at full health last season, they reshaped their starting offensive line for 2023 without him in mind. Veteran Nate Davis signed a three-year deal to start at right guard, while Teven Jenkins shifted over to left guard and Whitehair was moved in at center.
Patrick has rotated at center with the starting offense in minicamp, but Eberflus clarified that Whitehair is considered the primary starter. That leaves Patrick in a reserve position on the offensive line.
“We're going to need everybody,” Eberflus said. “At some point, somebody is going to step in there and be a starter and we're fortunate to have Lucas who has started in that position.”
Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan praised Patrick’s professionalism in handling the situation.
“We know who he is: tough, smart, again another great teammate willing to do whatever,” Morgan said.
Patrick was signed by the Packers on a tryout during minicamp in 2016 and fought for six seasons to earn a key role on Green Bay's offensive line. He emerged as a trusted blocker and teammate for star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and hit the open market in 2022 as a proven player.
During his recovery from injury late last season, Patrick was thankful that he was present with his wife as they prepared for the birth of their first child, daughter Eloise, who was born this April. Patrick was medically cleared to join the Bears for OTAs in May and stepped in with a young offensive line that's working to establish its identity.
Patrick is the second-oldest player in the Bears’ offensive line group, behind only the 30-year-old Whitehair. Patrick has persevered in reaching his eighth season in the NFL and has something to offer for his teammates.
“We almost start every day with a guy sharing a lot about himself, what makes him tick, heroes, hardships, his football dreams, his personal dreams,” Patrick said. “When you really understand a human being, what gets them up in the morning, why they are who they are, it allows you to just pull a little bit harder for them.
“My favorite thing about this job is the relationships. Like, there’s a handful of people I would’ve never crossed paths with. Maybe we look different, maybe we act different, maybe we’re from different areas, socioeconomic, political, you can go everything. You walk into a locker room and all that stays outside the door.
"You can learn so much about people, relationships, this game. If you give to the game, it gives back.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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