The payoff of the Chicago Bears‘ aggressive free agent signings won’t be known until September, or maybe not even until late December, depending on how the 2025 season plays out in the Windy City, but the moves made by general manager Ryan Poles are drawing high praise.
It’s hard to argue that the Bears haven’t gotten significantly better along both lines of scrimmage, by trading for All-Pro Joe Thuney, savvy veteran Jonah Jackson, and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency while also addressing big needs on defense with the additions of Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo.
Whether Chicago’s big moves to fill big needs result in more wins or a return to the playoffs remains to be seen, but the Bears have been among the biggest winners in early free agency according to folks both inside the league and out.
Front office executives impressed by Chicago Bears’ free agent moves
If there is a blueprint for winning the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles authored it by building around dominance along both lines of scrimmage.
After speaking with executives across multiple buildings inside the NFL, it seems that the rest of the league has stood up and taken notice of Poles and new head coach Ben Johnson’s quick strikes in free agency to fortify the Bears’ biggest need at some of the most important positions in the sport.
I asked a half-dozen NFL executives which team they believed has improved the most so far in free agency, and the Bears were a unanimous choice.
“They added big-time ‘trench players’ on both sides of the football,” an NFC South personnel executive told me.
Added another veteran front office man, “Chicago checked their biggest box, adding three strong starting offensive linemen.”
There is something to be said for the Bears emerging with players of Thuney, Jackson, and Dalman’s caliber early in free agency, shopping at the top of the market as well as being aggressive on the trade market to immediately improve the offensive line that allowed Caleb Williams to be sacked 68 times.
What Poles and the Bears have also done is create an opportunity to increase the talent at the key skill positions in the draft next month.
But, if the Bears are to turn things around, and Williams takes the next big strides in his development this season, the early moves along the lines of scrimmage will likely play a vital role.
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