NFL free agency is just under a month away, and teams around the league are doing their homework on veteran players set to hit the open market and how much of a fit they can be for their franchise. The Chicago Bears are no different, and general manager Ryan Poles figures to have his hands full with deciding how to best build on an unexpectedly strong 2025 season that saw the Monsters of the Midway win their first playoff game in 15 years.
Head coach Ben Johnson was heralded as one of the brightest young offensive minds in the league before taking the Bears job last offseason. The production shown on the offensive line proved to live up to that reputation. The unit had nowhere to go but up in 2025, as then rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a whopping 68 times in 2024, which is the third-most times a quarterback has been sacked in NFL history. The constant pressure that the former Heisman trophy winner faced that year stunted his growth and adjustment to the pros, and a major facelift was needed on the offensive line to keep their young signal caller upright going forward.
Significant changes were made to the unit in 2025, and it's safe to say they paid immediate dividends. Poles made a splashy move by trading a fourth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney last March, who turned around and earned another All-Pro nod while also earning the first Protector of the Year award at NFL Honors, which is given to the league's best offensive lineman that season. That was paired with another trade to get Los Angeles Rams guard Jonah Jackson in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, which, along with the free-agent signing of Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman, revamped the entire unit into one that looked unrecognizable from the year before.
These acquisitions, as well as Darnell Wright stepping up his run blocking and earning an All-Pro designation, transformed the offensive line into one of the league's best units in 2025. They went from giving up a league-high 37 sacks in 2024 to surrendering just 13 in 2025 per Pro Football Focus. Their 145 pressures on 643 snaps earned them the third-best PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating of 87.7.
With all that being said, there are still concerns at left tackle, especially given that it was anchored by rookie Ozzy Trapilo who ruptured his patellar tendon in Chicago's wild card victory over the Green Bay Packers in January. To keep this unit as one of the league's best in 2026, they will need someone to anchor arguably the most important position on the offensive line as Williams's key pass protector. Several starting-caliber linemen are looking for new teams and it gives Poles options for how to shape the unit.
Let's get into some of the top options at offensive line for the Bears. Be sure to check back with the Bear Report for complete coverage of free agency and the Bears offseason.
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