It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears are entering their offseason in desperate need of offensive line help. Holding the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago is in a premier spot to give Caleb Williams proper protection up front.
The Bears have been linked to players such as Will Campbell of LSU or Kevin Banks of Texas. However, they aren’t only elite offensive line prospects in the 2025 class. With the 10th overall pick, the Bears select Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Simmons in Mel Kiper of ESPN’s latest mock draft.
“If the Bears expect quarterback Caleb Williams to take a big step forward in 2025, they have to buy him time in the pocket to actually make plays,” Kiper wrote. “Darnell Wright has the right tackle position locked down, but Chicago can replace Braxton Jones (recovering from an ankle injury) on the left side with Simmons.”
“Of course, Simmons is coming off of a back injury of his own,” Kiper continued. “But he should be good to go for camp and has great traits. I love his consistency and balance in pass protection.
Chicago Bears offensive line conundrum
Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times. That’s 16 more times than the second-most sacked quarterback. If the Bears want their offense to be buzzing in year one of the Ben Johnson era, it starts and stops with improving the line.
As mentioned by Kiper, Wright should have the right tackle spot locked up for the foreseeable future. Chicago did use the No. 10 overall pick on him in 2023. Since then, Wright has started 33 games for the team. He earned a tremendous 79.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 16/141 tackles. His 82.2 run block grade was even better, ranking seventh out of 141 tackles.
Jones earned a similarly strong PFF grade of 77.4, which ranked 20/141 tackles. He excelled in the pass block, ranking 17/141 with an 80.8 grade. Injuries have been a bit of a problem for Jones over his career. But he has still started 40 games with the team. Whether or not he is replaced at left tackle might come down to the opportunities that come to the Bears front office.
The middle of the offensive line is an entirely different story. Matt Pryor, Shelton Coleman and Teven Jenkins are all free agents. Jenkins is the most name brand of the three, but he seems unlikely to return. So while the Bears could do a lot worse than Jones at left tackle, they undoubtedly need to upgrade their interior.
Regardless, all options are on the table for Chicago. It’s clear improvement needs to be made all across the line. If one of their top tackles is on the board, it would not be a shock to hear their name called.
Where Josh Simmons fits with the Bears
Josh Simmons spent the first year of his college career with San Diego State before ending it with Ohio State. He ended his career as a national champion with the Buckeyes. However, his aforementioned back injury limited him to just six games in 2024.
Despite playing in just those six games, Simmons still earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors. Furthermore, it’s not like the offensive lineman comes with an injury-prone label. He started all 13 games for San Diego State, playing nearly 800 snaps. He then started 13 games for Ohio State after earning the left tackle role.
His biggest strength is his athleticism. While Simmons stands 6-foor-5, 310-pounds, he has the quickness to battle against top-flight edge rushers. He received a comparison to former first-round pick DJ Humphries by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
“An athletic tackle prospect with adequate size and length, Simmons has experience starting on both sides,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a consistently fluid mover inside the box and when asked to play in space, he has the slide quickness to compete against NFL edge speed.”
While Josh Simmons may not have as much name value as Campbell or Banks, he is still an elite talent. Kiper thinks he’d be the perfect fit to keep Caleb Williams upright in the pocket.
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