Bears Positioned To Benefit From Investment In Offensive Line

Caleb Williams takes center stage on Monday night, taking the starring role in Ben Johnson’s remake of the Chicago Bears offense. If he’s taking bows afterward, he’ll surely want to thank the least visible members of the cast.

General Manager Ryan Poles wisely has rebuilt the offensive line that failed to give Williams a fighting chance during his rookie season. Pro Football Focus has upgraded its ranking of the line from 24th at the end of 2024 to the NFL’s fourth best at the start of ’25, behind only Philadelphia, Denver and Buffalo.

While the Bears used their first two draft picks on tight end Colston Loveland and slot receiver Luther Burden III, they threw their financial resources behind the line.

The signing of free agent center Drew Dalman and the trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson took the team’s spending on the offensive line to $54.38 million, according to Spotrac, which ranks seventh in the league. This is a marked difference in how the franchise valued the line as the relevance it held in the Walter Payton/Mike Ditka years.

Williams, the first overall pick in the ’24 draft, was thrown into the fire behind a line that ranked 31st in combined salaries. Guard Ryan Bates, acquired from Buffalo for a fifth-round draft pick, was the highest paid among the so-called “Big Uglies” with a $3.5 million salary. The supposed anchor for the line, guard Teven Jenkins, was in the last season of his rookie contract, earning about $2.67 million.

Was it any surprise that Williams endured 68 sacks while playing all but 13 snaps? It’s impressive that he somehow threw only six interceptions along with 20 touchdown passes.

It’s probably unfair to pin the team’s 5-12 record on Williams, just as it was to harshly critique predecessors like Justin Fields and Mitchell Trubisky. They all played behind lines that lacked dominance, the result of poor drafts and an unwillingness to spend heavily to fix the problem.

The Bears ranked 25th in offensive line spending in a seven-year run (2018-24) under Poles and his predecessor, Ryan Pace. Credit to Poles for finally saying enough’s enough.

PFF, a widely respected website that grades player performance, believes Poles actually had a running start rebuilding this year’s line. It blamed Williams’ pocket movement and awareness for 31 of his 68 sacks, giving returning tackles Darnell Wright (16th among 81 tackles) and Braxton Jones (22nd) with solid grades. The team finished with the 12th best pass-blocking grade, per PFF.

While analysts and fans pined for Poles to import a decorated left tackle to replace the unsung Jones, the GM focused on upgrading the interior of the line.

Thuney, an all-Pro tackle in each of the last three years, was acquired from Kansas City for a fourth-round draft pick. The Chiefs made the 32-year-old Thuney available after electing to give guard Trey Allen a franchise tag (and later a four-year, $94-million contract.

Poles moved quickly to take advantage of this Sophie’s Choice situation. Thuney was acquired with one year left on his contract but subsequently signed a two-year, $35-million extension, putting him under the Bears’ control through 2027.

Jackson signed a three-year, $51-million deal with the Los Angeles Rams after four seasons with Detroit. The Rams had buyer’s remorse after a fractured scapula sidelined Jackson last season, and Poles quickly stepped up to take him for only a sixth-round draft pick.

It was an easy decision to make with Johnson, who came to Chicago after serving as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, endorsing Jackson. The Bears then double-downed on Jackson, adding ’27 onto the deal (although only $24.75 million is fully guaranteed, dead cap hits of $25 million in ’26 and $17 million in ’27 will make him tough to cut).

Dalman, linked to the success of Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson, signed a three-year, $42-million contract as a free agent. The Falcons are replacing him with his backup, Ryan Neuzil, after high ankle sprains — both on his left ankle — caused him to miss three games in ’23 and eight in ’24.

Ozzy Trapilo, a second-round pick last April, and sixth-rounder Luke Newman join Kiran Amegadjie and Theo Benedet in backup roles for the Bears.

Bates played one three games last year but remains on hand to add depth. The difference this season is he’s truly just another guy in the offensive line, not the one receiving the biggest check.