Cody Whitehair hurt his right hand last month during joint practices against the Colts. He has a brace on the pinkie on his left hand, too, something he describes as a step he takes to prevent long-term damage.

Neither affects his ability to snap, Whitehair said. The question now becomes: will the Bears need him to?

Whitehair began training camp at center but moved to left guard right around the time of his right hand injury — that’s when Teven Jenkins suffered a leg injury that would eventually land him on injured reserve. It looks like Whitehair will stay at left guard, too, with either Lucas Patrick or new acquisition Dan Feeney playing center the first month of the season.

Whitehair played left guard last year, working next to tackle Braxton Jones.

“I was fortunate to be able to work with Braxton all of last year, too, so it’s kinda like just picking up and riding a bike again,” Whitehair said. “I’ve been working those fits a little more before and after practice — getting better continuity there is the biggest thing.”

The health of the offensive line is already a red flag for the Bears.

“You’ve got to be prepared,” Whitehair said. “It’s nice that we have guys that have that position flexibility that they can change on the flip of a coin.”