The Chicago Bears are on the lookout for offensive line help. Nothing is off the table. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson know that area of the roster will dictate how far this organization can go in 2025 and beyond. While most of the focus has been on free agency and the draft, it appears the trade market might yield an opportunity for them. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Los Angeles Rams have given former Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson permission to seek a trade.
This comes after signing a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency with them last off-season. Such a rapid change of direction at least raises some red flags. Jackson made the Pro Bowl with the Detroit Lions in 2021. He played under Johnson for two years, in 2022 and 2023. One would think the head coach is interested in a reunion. Then again, it’s important to ask questions. If Jackson is so good, why did the Lions let him walk last year, and why are the Rams open to trading him now?
Finding the answers isn’t difficult.
The Chicago Bears need to stay away from Jackson.
There are two reasons for this. For one, his health situation has gotten progressively worse over the past three years. Between his last two years in Detroit, he missed nine games with finger, wrist, ankle, and concussion issues. Last year, he went on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury and ended up only playing four games. It is pretty clear the guy has a hard time staying healthy, which is a problem the Bears have already dealt with for the past few years, thanks to Teven Jenkins.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Jackson isn’t even as good as Jenkins, too. In his two years under Johnson in Detroit, he allowed 53 total pressures on the quarterback in just over 900 snaps. His run-blocking grade was consistently in the 60s, meaning he was also average in that department. It’s hard not to feel like Jackson was merely the beneficiary of playing between Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow.
Yes, the Chicago Bears need offensive line help. However, Jackson is not somebody they should be jumping through hoops to acquire. They can do better.
I am having some doubts about Jenkins coming back to Chicago. He didn’t have the best experience here and there will be other teams wanting to talk to him. A lot of linemen get hurt and that’s why you have to have at least 9. But having a dude with might and power will get some bucks. Jenkins has every right to get paid. Chicago is counting a list of past issues but Tev gets a clean slate at a new venue. I think Bears Nation wants to pay him 10M on a 2 yr while he goes elsewhere for… Read more »
They might as well sign Jenkins on a prove it deal, or a deal laced with incentives. They are both injury prone however Jenkins is better when healthy, he’s younger, and he’s already built a relationship with the city and teammates.
Hard pass on this guy. I still wouldn’t be opposed to bringing Jenkins back with the right price/contract.
If not for MY HC BEN and the others, Poles would likely fixate on Jackson and then quickly sign him in FA for major money without due diligence as had been done often in the past.
If one were to have say, OCD, then you lose your reason and often make critical errors in judgement, repeatedly, never really learning from past decision-making mistakes. Male Hyenas and authoritarians are more prone to possess this defective disability but simply accept it as routine with camouflage.
Dalman only played 9 games last season. Was hurt more than Jenkins. Not sure why they want him if they don’t want Jenkins over injury concerns. Maybe that’s why Atlanta isn’t in a hurry to resign their own center.
Hard no.