The Bears have struggled to find stability at the center position, a problem that dates back to Justin Fields tenure when Sam Mustipher held the role. Last season, Coleman Shelton filled the spot, but with his short-term deal expiring, it’s clear the Bears need an upgrade rather than bringing him back. That’s where Drew Dalman could be a game-changer.
Dalman, the 26-year-old center for Atlanta last season, earned an impressive 84.8 grade from Pro Football Focus and is ranked as the 22nd-best free agent overall. Despite playing only nine games in 2024 due to an ankle injury, Dalman allowed just nine total pressures, with the most sacks he’s ever surrendered in a single season being two. He also committed only three pre-snap penalties last year. Over his career, Dalman has logged more than 1,300 pass-blocking snaps, making him an experienced and reliable option—not a rookie project. According to PFF, the ideal landing spot for the former 4th round pick is Chicago.
“With Coleman Shelton’s short-term deal manning the middle of this offensive line set to expire, new Bears head coach Ben Johnson may opt to replicate the success he found in Detroit with All-Pro center Frank Ragnow.”
Contract Outlook
The Bears have significant cap space this offseason, which positions them well to pursue Dalman and other upgrades. A realistic contract could be in the range of three years, worth $35–$38 million, making Dalman one of the highest-paid centers in the league. A deal at $38 million would average about $12.5 million per year, potentially including incentives. This type of investment aligns with Ben Johnson’s recent comments on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, where he mentioned the “player acquisition stage is right around the corner.”
This move would fill a critical need for the Bears and solidify the offensive line—a priority for their new head coach and quarterback Caleb Williams.
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Sorry, DAVE… but Dalman had 1/2 the snaps as Shelton on a better running team with Bijan as its RB. Of course, he has better overall PFF ratings with a smaller sample size! Duh.
I’d like to hear what Olin Kreutz or Chris Long think. Do they see Dalman having better technique, quickness and strength than Shelton? If not, stick with our center and select an upgrade and eventual replacement in 2025 Draft.
@nonobaddog – that’s fair enough. I’ll say again, I think BJ deserves a reasonable amount of time to undo the damage last year’s fustercluck coaching likely caused. But I don’t mean infinite, just a fair amount of patience for the new coaches to work with him before people say he needs to prove it immediately.
@Tred, Williams seems like he could be the quarterback we Bears fans have wished for for a long long time. For me the jury is still out, let’s see what he does with real coaches.
@TGena – we’ll get a very good insight into how secure Poles feels in his job by how he spends this year. Do you remember how Pace spent when he realized his job was on the line – lots of expense, lots of risk.
It should be enlightening.
@nonobaddog – I wanted to ask you yesterday but got distracted by work – are you happy or unhappy with Caleb Williams this past year?