Protecting Caleb Williams, and running the football with more efficiency.
Those are just two of the main concerns heading into free agency and draft season for the Chicago Bears.
GM Ryan Poles and the rest of the front office will need to address this dismal offensive line if they have any chance of competing in the now brutal NFC North. Williams took far too many hits in his rookie season, and the run game just never seemed to get going.
Now the question remains: who will the Bears target in free agency to fill this void? There are plenty of big names and young talent out there.
Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman has become a hot name for the Chicago Bears as of late, as he plans to enter free agency
A name to watch out for is Drew Dalman, a 26-year-old center who has played for the Atlanta Falcons since he came into the league when he was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Dalman is widely regarded as one of the better centers in the league, and will certainly gain plenty of interest this spring.
Dalman ranked fourth amongst all centers in the NFL when it came to his Pro Football Focus grade and fifth in his run-blocking grade, despite his availability issues. Durability may be the only thing preventing him from a big-time contract in free agency, as he missed eight games last season and three in the season prior.
Matt Lombardo of Between the Hashmarks and ChiCitySports recently spoke to offensive line guru Duke Manyweather from OL Masterminds about Dalman. He asked specifically about the Bears’ fit, and Manyweather seems to think it would be a good risk for them to potentially take.
“I think he’s solid and can really be a key addition,” Manyweather told me, of Dalman as a potential Bears as a fit. “He’s kind of lost in the discussion because he was hurt. But, I think his best football is ahead of him.”
Manyweather is well renowned in the football world when it comes to o-linemen, as he trains over 40 NFL players in the off-season. He has had 70 of his trainees drafted, including 12-first round picks and another 30 top-100 picks. If there’s a guy to listen to when it comes to this stuff, it’s Duke Manyweather.
Lombardo also references the underratedness of having a solid or even elite center when it comes to moving the ball on offense. Centers like Tyler Linderbaum, Creed Humphrey, and Frank Ragnow are extremely vital parts of the success of their respective offenses, and it shows on tape and the stat sheet as well.
The Chicago Bears will need to address the offensive line problem not only in free agency but also in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Bears don’t have the luxury of taking the ‘best available’ talent that some other teams will have, so targeting offensive linemen will be crucial in the pre-draft process. Guys like Will Campbell and Josh Simmons will be just a few names to watch in this solid class of pass-and-run blockers.
With Ben Johnson taking over as the new Chicago head coach, we could see a massive change in philosophy when it comes to the draft. Former coach Matt Eberflus liked his twitchy athletes with potential, rather than proven talent at the collegiate level.
In my most recent mock draft, I have the Bears going all-in on the offensive line front, as they will need stability at that level to succeed next season. It’s a tiresome saying, but strength in the trenches truly leads to success. Just look at this weekend’s upcoming Super Bowl, it’s hard to find any holes on either of those lines, defensive or offensive.
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