Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie. Heading into the 2025 season, the Chicago Bears have done everything in their power to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
The Bears traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson before signing center Drew Dalman in free agency. All three should give Williams a much more formidable front and extra time in the pocket. For all the hype head coach Ben Johnson’s arrival has brought, it will all become moot if Williams doesn’t live up to his No. 1 pick potential.
His new guard pairing though at least puts Williams in a place to succeed. Especially when Thuney and Jackson are considered the best guard duo in the entire NFL, via Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus.
“The NFL seems to lack an elite guard duo right now, but the Bears’ offseason acquisitions on the interior profile as the league’s best,” Buday wrote.
“Jackson played only 267 snaps with the Rams in 2024 and was benched despite having signed a big contract last offseason,” he continued. “In previous years, he ranked among the top 30 guards in PFF overall grade multiple times under then-Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is now the Chicago Bears’ head coach. Slightly above-average play from Jackson could be enough to make this duo the best in the NFL.”
“Joe Thuney is arguably the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL. Before moving to left tackle in 2024, he was playing some of the best football of his career,” Buday concluded. “Between Week 5 and Week 12, he allowed only one pressure on 316 pass plays and earned a 95.6 PFF pass-blocking grade, which led all guards by a significant margin.”
Joe Thuney brings championship mentality to Chicago Bears
Thuney is coming to the Bears have already won four Super Bowl titles, two with the New England Patriots and two with the Kansas City Chiefs. While he may be entering his age-32 season, the guard is still at the top of his game, being named an All-Pro his last two campaigns. Furthermore, he has been named to the Pro Bowl his last three.
During the 2024 season, Thuney’s 79.9 grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 12/136 guards. His 82 pass blocking grade ranked fifth. Overall, the left guard is expected to be a cornerstone of Chicago’s offensive line for the foreseeable future.
Alongside his work on the field, Thuney will be an invaluable leader. Johnson is entering his first year as head coach while Williams will only be a sophomore. If the offense ever hits a rough patch, but coach and quarterback can turn to Thuney.
The Bears put themselves on the map when they swung their Thuney trade. They’re confident the reward will be elite play at the left guard position.
Jonah Jackson ready to prove himself
Jackson is coming to Chicago not nearly accomplished as Thuney. But even more concerning is his work during the 2024 season. However, Jackson’s trade was one of the first moves the team made after Johnson’s hiring. The head coach remains confident that the guard is a perfect fit in the offense.
After signing a three-year, $51 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams, Jackson played in just four games due to a shoulder injury. His work when on the field wasn’t great either, as evident by the offensive lineman’s 67.5 grade from PFF, which ranked 40/136 guards.
But the Rams had Jackson playing at center, rather than his natural guard position. Furthermore, his injury came early in the season, taking away anytime the lineman would have gelling with his new teammates. Ultimately, Jackson wasn’t able to find his footing in Los Angeles.
But now Johnson has moved Jackson back to right guard. It’s a strategy with proven success, as the lineman was named to his lone Pro Bowl in 2021, when Johnson was the passing game coordinator.
Jackson will need to prove he is still that caliber of player and justify his contract. But Johnson is still clearly a fan of the offensive lineman. Now, he is expected to fortify the Bears’ right guard position in 2025 and beyond.
Chicago Bears officially announce initial training camp plan
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1 Comment
LT will be an open competition in camp this July?