Caleb Williams, Drew Dalman
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Ben Johnson believes that the big fellas up front on the offensive and defensive lines make up the strength of the Chicago Bears roster
Over the last handful of seasons, no team has undergone as drastic of a makeover as the Chicago Bears have. Consider, when general manager Ryan Poles arrived, this was a franchise that was capped out, without draft assets, and frankly, lacking talent. Now in the three seasons that have passed by, all of that has changed. On paper, the roster is at the very least in the top half of the league, and in new head coach Ben Johnson, Chicago has a leader who should be able to push all of the right buttons to maximize the potential of what Poles has built.
And to be clear, what Ryan Poles has built is a roster that is so well-constructed that it’s a challenge to identify what the one indisputable strength of it is.
Is it the second-year quarterback, Caleb Williams, who entered the league being touted as a generational prospect?
Is it a revamped group of pass-catchers that includes four wide receivers and two tight ends who need and deserve a decent target share?
Is it a secondary, which if healthy, could be among the best groups in the entire NFL?
Instead of continuing to pose these hypothetical questions, I’ll just go ahead and let Ben Johnson give you his answer, because obviously he’s got a far better grasp on this than you or I would.
“I do think the strength of our team that I felt over the course of training camp is probably going to be up front,” Johnson said on August 28 during an appearance on the Mully and Haugh Show. “I say that not from the flash players, but I think the depth that we have both on the offensive line and defensive line. Those are both areas you don’t just play your starting four or five, you end up playing a good eight, nine, or ten guys over the course of the season. The depth that we have at those two spots is really going to play dividends for us here this year.”
Bears Invest Heavily in Offensive Line During Offseason
Now if you’re a Bears fan, you don’t need me to tell you that this is a significant statement on Ben Johnson’s part, and not just because history has told us that if you’re solid in both of your fronts, you have a good chance of competing at a high level against the best teams in football.
This is noteworthy because just one year ago, these were two of the most easily identifiable weaknesses on the Chicago Bears roster. Remember, the Bears offensive line gave up 68 sacks of Caleb Williams last year, and I’ve heard all of the critiques of Caleb that he holds onto the ball too long, and while that’s undeniably true, we can’t just ignore the fact that the Bears offensive line allowed a league-worst 57 unblocked pressures and 13 unblocked sacks in Williams’ rookie year.
Part of the problem here was that the Bears just hadn’t invested in their offensive line as much of as they should’ve. In 2024, only 9.3% of their cap ($23.6 million) was spent on the offensive line. It was the second-cheapest unit in the NFL. You get what you pay for, right? Now, heading into the 2025 season, the Bears offensive line takes up 23.7% of the total cap ($66.1 million) and boasts players with All-Pro potential at multiple positions.
Upon his arrival, Ben Johnson made it very clear that the Bears needed to improve this unit, and Ryan Poles got the memo. Before free agency began, Chicago made savvy moves to acquire guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson from the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams respectively. The first signing of free agency? Drew Dalman, who had spent the previous three years as a rock solid starting center for the Atlanta Falcons.
Incumbent starters at the two tackle spots, Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones, will return, and that’s fine. Sure, Jones’ spot was up for grabs throughout training camp, and it’s possible that Ozzy Trapilo, Theo Benedet or Kiran Amegadjie could eventually unseat Jones if his return from a serious injury hampers his play in the early portion of the season. But even if Jones needs to be replaced, this unit is in a far better spot than they were last season.
Bears Add Depth, But Still Lack Star Power on Defensive Line
The offseason improvements along the defensive line aren’t necessarily as drastic as they are on the opposite side of the ball, but Ryan Poles has still managed to put together a group that should have more juice than they have at any other point during his regime.
Montez Sweat returns, and reports out of Halas Hall are that he looks excellent. After Dalman was signed, Chicago’s next two free agency additions were Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo, who will likely step into starting roles immediately. Rounding out the group of starters along the front will be Gervon Dexter, who should thrive playing under a defensive coordinator like Dennis Allen… a play-caller and architect who emphasizes violence and nastiness up front.
But as Johnson noted, it’s the depth of this group that stands out, and that will come to fruition as the season progresses. Best case scenario is that 2nd Round pick Shemar Turner, who missed the entire preseason with an ankle sprain, will come along nicely and within the next 18 months or so, be ready to unseat Jarrett in that starting role. Andrew Billings is a massive space eater, and Austin Booker — currently on IR — should wreak havoc coming off the edge on passing downs.
For now, all of this remains hypothetical. But hypothetically, this is the best Bears team since the oh-so-lovable 2018 squad that last captured the NFC North crown.