Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams
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The Chicago Bears are getting praised for beefing up their offensive line to help Caleb Williams finally get the support he needs.
The Chicago Bears are looking solid heading into the 2025 season, and the team’s new head coach Ben Johnson from the Detroit Lions is turning heads with his moves. The Bears, for the most part, have gotten stellar reviews for their 2025 draft choices. NFL analyst and expert Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, however, gave the team a B+ grade for their 2025 draft selections, giving the team props on everything except snagging a new pass rusher. “The Bears’ edge defenders had a pass rush win rate of 10.2%, which was the third worst in the NFL last season,” he notes, adding that not selecting a pass rusher “was enough to knock Chicago down to a B+. Otherwise, I was a fan of its picks, which seem very centered on elevating Williams’ game in 2025.”
But, looking ahead, the Chicago Bears are getting praised for beefing up their offensive line in a way that should help Caleb Williams finally get the support he needs.
Chicago Bears Get an A on Offensive Line
In a May 5 story for ESPN, their NFL Nation team discusses the most improved aspects of each NFL team following the draft. For the piece, EPSN utilized a power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities to evaluate how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
“The 2025 NFL draft is complete, and prospects are beginning rookie minicamps with their new teams,” ESPN states in the feature, while also praising the top picks. “The Titans took quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick, the Packers selected wide receiver Matthew Golden at No. 23, and the Eagles beefed up their linebacker room with Jihaad Campbell.”
For the Chicago Bears, they highlight the offensive line as the best choice. It brought their post-free agency ranking up 22 notches.
“During free agency, the Bears flipped their interior offensive line in one week by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and spending big to land center Drew Dalman,” Courtney Cronin states in the piece. “They continued to address needs up front in the draft, using the 56th pick on offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo.”
Cronin adds, “Now Chicago will experiment with several options regarding who plays at both left and right tackle. The heavy investment is good news for QB Caleb Williams, who was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie.”
A Bears Rival Also Gets Props
Looking at Johnson’s old team, the Detroit Lions, these NFC North rivals have also beefed up their offensive line for 2025. They know that they won’t have the expertise of Johnson anymore, so they’re making sure to stay strong on offense.
In the ESPN piece, Eric Woodyard gives the Lions pro[s for keeping their offensive line “one of the strongest units on the roster” even after after losing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to the Titans in free agency.
The 2025 NFL season will officially start with the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 4. The Philadelphia Eagles, who are the defending Super Bowl champions, will host the game, but their opponent hasn’t been announced yet.