The Bears are riding a wave of Ben Johnson-fueled momentum into the opening of free agency Monday, and it has no end in sight.
General manager Ryan Poles set himself up to play from a position of strength in free agency with a pair of acquisitions on the offensive line that addressed the Bears’ most critical weakness and confirmed his acknowledgement of reality: Everything the Bears do revolves around Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.
Upgrading the offensive line was paramount for Poles after the Bears broke the bank (a reported $13 million a year) to hire Johnson, the hottest coordinator in the 2025 hiring cycle. The line was the most glaring difference between the pieces Johnson had when he started with the Lions in 2022 and what he was inheriting with the Bears in 2025.
Poles made the first move Tuesday by trading a sixth-round draft pick this year to the Rams for former Pro Bowl (as an alternate) guard/center Jonah Jackson. A day later, he made an even bigger move by trading a fourth-round draft pick in 2026 to the Chiefs for three-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney.
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but if you were counting on Johnson making everyone at Halas Hall smarter, those trades alone provided evidence. Poles’ previous big splash on an offensive lineman in free agency was former Titans guard Nate Davis — to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2023. Davis came with some questions about his dedication to the game and what it took to max out on his ability. That Titans coach Mike Vrabel didn’t want him seemed to be a possible red flag.
As it turned out, those fears were realized from the start when Davis blew off the first two weeks of organized team activities. Beset by injuries and personal issues — including a death in the family — and a questionable practice ethic, Davis was cut in Week 11 last season after playing in 16 of 26 possible games. It was a whiff that was more than just a big investment that didn’t work out; it was a knock against Poles’ judgment.
Jackson and Thuney are considered much better risks, but both will come to the Bears with question marks of their own. Jackson has played in only 13 of his teams’ last 34 games because of injuries with the Lions in 2023 and the Rams last season and a benching with the Rams. Thuney, who has missed two games in nine NFL seasons, turns 33 next season and has to prove he can be as productive and dependable at a stage when many Pro Bowl-quality players start to wilt.
Both, however, are upgrades over Davis and come with a dependable seal of approval. Jackson played four seasons with the Lions when Johnson was on the staff, including two (2022-23) when he was the offensive coordinator. Thuney signed with the Chiefs in 2021, when Poles was their assistant director of player personnel. (And former Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, who agreed to a one-year deal Thursday, was a rookie when Johnson was their wide receivers coach in 2018.)
The acquisitions of Thuney and Jackson still leave Poles with $50.3 million in salary-cap space, according to Over the Cap, heading into the legal tampering period Monday. (Free agents can’t officially sign contracts until the new league year begins Wednesday.)
And while an edge rusher and defensive tackle are at or near the top of the Bears’ wish list, don’t discount them splurging on the Falcons’ Drew Dalman, the top center available in free agency. Poles is fixated on improving a sore spot that reflected poorly on him last season, but giving Johnson every chance to succeed is the biggest motivating factor.
For the record, Poles denied Johnson would have more influence in personnel matters than former coach Matt Eberflus did when he talked with reporters Feb. 25 at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
‘‘I think it’ll remain the same,’’ Poles said. ‘‘We’re constantly talking about how we need to go about improving our team, so those conversations will be happening almost on a daily basis, which is important in any relationship between . . . a GM and a head coach.”
But the reality is that some GM/head coach relationships are more important than others. And it already seems evident the Poles-Johnson relationship has the GM and head coach closer to the same plane than at any time since Jerry Angelo was hired as GM in 2001.
Johnson still has many games to win to prove himself, but the Bears are more motivated than ever to do things his way as they accelerate carefully but purposefully through a critical construction zone. Poles’ foot is heavy on the gas pedal, but Johnson’s hands are on the wheel.