The Chicago Bears made it clear from the start that the offensive line would be a focus this off-season. They traded for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney earlier this month. Now they’ve brought everything together by signing top free agent center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million deal. The move had been rumored for a long time. It was well-known that new head coach Ben Johnson valued a veteran center to help Caleb Williams’ development. Local insiders suggested GM Ryan Poles wanted to focus on fixing the interior offensive line first. While some will say Dalman for $14 million per year is expensive, the fact is it needed to be done.
Dalman’s biggest strength is his run-blocking. His leg drive and footwork allow him to get advantageous positions with regularity. That, no doubt, is what Johnson wanted. His offense is built around a strong rushing attack. Dalman’s pass protection isn’t anything special, but he’s shown steady improvement over the past couple of seasons. A trio of him, Jackson, and Thuney is a massive upgrade over what the Bears have had for the past several years.
The Chicago Bears have opened up their options for the draft.
They no longer have to feel pressured to go offensive line in the 1st round. They are free to focus on the best player available, regardless of position. Now, this doesn’t mean they won’t go offensive line. There are some rumblings they might be looking to secure their future at left tackle. Poles said he’d be looking for competition for Braxton Jones, who is recovering from a broken leg. Will Campbell of LSU, Kelvin Banks of Texas, or Josh Simmons of Ohio State could all be options. They could also look to fortify their defensive line with a young pass rusher. They’ve needed somebody to pair with Montez Sweat for over a year. Either way, it is nice to see the Chicago Bears come into the off-season with a plan and stick to it.
@RoosterRider: “were” not “was” is more correct Mr. Jealous.
If you desire to pry me away from TGena, then you must try harder and wow me where it counts.
Ryan Poles has finally grown an NFL brain — let’s call it, HC Ben.
@emergency realist: Don’t get me wrong, I hope you’re right, but let’s not count our Super Bowl wins just yet. Let’s make the playoffs first. It’s easy to have hope when the team makes moves like this, but what if Thuney breaks a leg in game two? Something always goes wrong; let’s just hope three things don’t go wrong.
So, I’ll be interested in tracking Drew Dalman’s career with the Bears (PFF 2024 overall grade: 78.8) as compared with the affordable young centers who I campaigned for, in the past (and in this year’s upcoming draft), namely:
▪︎ Joe Tippmann (2022) PFF: 73.4
▪︎ Zack Frazier (2023) PFF: 76.8,, and
▪︎ Gray Zabel (2024) PFF: TBD.
I sure hope that doesn’t offend any of Erik Lambert’s avid readers — especially the numerous oversensitive, fragile ones.
Love the contract!! Way better than the 18+ he was projecting. Love the new DE signing also. Dayo is young and hasn’t reached his ceiling! There’s moneys still available and still have our high draft picks! 👑 POLES