Examining Sam Mustipher's Bears' Tenure in Light of Non-Tender

Bidding farewell to one of the most maligned albeit underappreciated Bears in recent memory: Sam Mustipher.

Speak the name "Sam Mustipher" on Chicago Bears Twitter and you might as well be whispering one of the Unforgivable Curses from Harry Potter. It's true, Mustipher was a weak spot on the offensive line, and the Bears opted to not even tender an offer to the fourth-year player out of Notre Dame. That news brought Bears fans a sigh of relief; after all, Mustipher represented everything wrong with the Bears' offensive line for the past few years.

But was he so bad? Was he this albatross that the Bears simply couldn't get rid of and also single-handedly responsible for the blocking woes? I think that might be a little harsh.

I'll admit off the bat I have a soft spot for underdogs, and as an UDFA in 2019, Mustipher was the definitive underdog. He played his college ball in South Bend, where he suited up alongside guys like Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey, and Quenton Nelson. During his tenure at Notre Dame, he started 37 consecutive games. And in 2017 — his best season — he didn't allow a sack or QB hit over 13 games and earned himself a spot as a finalist for the Rimington Award, which goes to the best collegiate center in the nation.

Despite the accolades, Mustipher's prospects as a pro quickly dwindled after his pro day. Pre-draft fears of his lack of athleticism were confirmed, and Mustipher put forth a tryout that would earn him one of the lowest RAS scores I've ever seen. As a result, the Bears signed him as an undrafted free agent and tucked him away onto the practice squad.

Going into the 2020 season, Mustipher was still relegated to the practice squad. However, Week 8 injuries to both Cody Whitehair and James Daniels thrust the Olin Kreutz protege into the spotlight and onto the big stage. Mustipher was not great but showed promise, and the Bears finished the year averaging 144 rushing yards over the last six games. Coaches fell in love with his knowledge of the game. Former head coach Matt Nagy called him "super smart" and "a quarterback's best friend" because of his ability to quickly adjust the calls at the line of scrimmage.

During the 2021 offseason, Sam Mustipher bulked up in a way that any blue-blooded Chicagoan can appreciate: he engorged himself with Lou Malnati's and went from a draft weight of 306 to a playing weight of 332 pounds. Malnati's was so effective for Mustipher that it made him the second heaviest center in the NFL despite being tied for shortest. The idea was to add strength to the undersized center by bulking him up and having him train (sometimes up to 10 times a week) with Kreutz, who was no doubt turned on to Mustipher by longtime friend and former Notre Dame o-line coach Harry Hiestand.

As a short and squat man myself, I can attest to the effectiveness of Lou Malnati's when one's looking to bulk up. I can also say, with some iota of confidence, that adding ~20 pounds to an already unathletic center certainly has the components to be a recipe for disaster.

Going into the 2021 season, Mustipher was the unquestioned starter, and the cracks that made him a UDFA along with the extra weight, made him an easy target for Bears' fans' ire. It's interesting to observe which player will become the epicenter of frustration for fans when it comes to encompassing poor offensive line play. Prior to Mustipher, Bears fans directed their anger at Charles Leno. Before him, it was JaMarcus Webb.  And even going further back than him, it was guys like Frank Omiyale and John St. Clair. Never great players, mind you, but certainly not the sole reason the offensive line struggled.

Unfortunately, a good portion of the vitriol Mustipher received was likely misdirected. Kreutz voiced frustration towards Bears chairman George McCaskey and his reported job offer of $15/hr, and by targeting the Bears, Kreutz in turn became a focal point of fans' disdain for what they perceived as little development in Mustipher's game.

But there was growth. In fact, I dare say that there was progress when it came to Mustipher. Pro Football Focus charted his rating at 63.4 (up from 51.0 in 2021 and 59.5 in 2020) for the season, good for 18th best in the league for centers. And in his four seasons, he's been cited for allowing only four sacks and eight penalties. This was after the Bears made a relative "splash" in 2022's free agency by bringing over former Packer Lucas Patrick to play center. Patrick would break his hand in training camp and Mustipher would resume the starting spot and continue to be a mainstay on the line (he's started 40 of 43 games since being called up in 2019).

Make no mistake: I'm not trying to argue that Mustipher was good. I think slightly below average is his ceiling, but when you consider his physical makeup and the cards stacked against him, I think it's pretty damn impressive for a UDFA to push himself to be a worthy (albeit replaceable) starter in the NFL. Players of his ilk are rare, and I think seeing someone put in the work to get to their absolute peak is admirable.

I called Sam one of the more underappreciated Bears players in recent memory and I stand by that. The disdain fans directed toward him on social media was intense, and though he struggled as a player against athletic DTs (see: Kenny Clark and DJ Reader), he was not the weakest link on the offensive line. I believe right tackle was a bigger weakness overall when looking at the season from a macro level. It's just that the name Mustipher became a placeholder term for "bad offensive lineman" and fans didn't appreciate his growth despite his ceiling never being that of an All-Pro lineman.

Regardless of the aggravation directed towards him, Mustipher gave the Bears availability and anchored a run game that was the best in the NFL. Am I crying in my Cocoa Puffs because he's gone? Not at all. I think Mustipher's best bet is to learn how to play guard and become a valuable backup that could have a nice NFL career as a Ted Larsen-type with versatility along the line and football smarts to adjust on the fly.

I guess a part of me will just miss him and what he represented as a player. Just not on Sundays.