Bears News Bears Center Tyler Linderbaum Drew Dalman Drew Dalman Retirement
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Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, a pending free agent.
The Chicago Bears may have a premium option in mind for replacing Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman following his sudden and unexpected NFL retirement.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dalman — who made the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Bears in 2025 — has informed the team that he is retiring from the league at age 27. He signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bears last March.
Dalman was a critical part of the Bears’ offensive line rebuild during the 2025 offseason and earned every penny of his contract with his performance, allowing just one sack on 1,154 snaps and finishing with the eighth-best pass-block win rate (96%) in the league. His retirement creates another significant personnel hole for the Bears’ 2026 roster.
Encouragingly, though, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has reported that the Bears have “sniffed around” on the market of a high-level replacement: Baltimore Ravens three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who will hit free agency next week.
“The Bears have sniffed around Tyler Linderbaum and now that makes sense,” Breer wrote on X following the news about Dalman’s sudden retirement.
The Bears could now head into the start of the 2026 league year on March 11 seeking two new offensive line starters, including at left tackle. The team has said it expects Ozzy Trapilo, a 2025 second-round pick, to miss most of the 2026 season as he recovers from a ruptured patellar tendon, opening the door to short- and long-term solutions.