Last offseason everyone gave the Chicago Bears flowers for building up a tremendous supporting cast around rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
One problem: Everyone seemed to forget that the offensive line is a big part of a supporting cast, and the Bears did woefully little to make the line viable.
They’re fixing that. If there was any question what new coach Ben Johnson’s priorities are, the Bears’ first offseason with him should answer it. The Bears invested heavily on the lines on both sides of the ball, making big moves to fix a bad interior to the offensive line and also landing some big-money defensive linemen.
The Bears, who traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson last week, agreed with center Drew Dalman on a three-year, $42 million deal via NFL Media. They also agreed with former Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo on three-year, $48 million deal via NFL Media and former Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett on a 3-year $43.5 million deal via ESPN.
That’s a lot of money to throw around in one offseason. Williams has to appreciate the help.
Bears try to fix their OL
This isn’t the first time the Bears have been one of the buzzy teams of the offseason. There were plenty of jokes going around Monday about the Bears being offseason champions yet again.
But that doesn’t take away from the validity of what the Bears have done this month to fix their issues. Offensive line was a big problem last season allowing 68 sacks, though Williams holding the ball way too long didn’t help either. Thuney is 32 years old but he has been one of the NFL’s best linemen the past decade. Jackson worked with Johnson in Detroit before moving to the Rams last offseason, and made one Pro Bowl in his four seasons with Detroit. Dalman was one of the NFL’s best centers with the Falcons last season.
In Detroit, Johnson was the offensive coordinator for a team that had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Chicago are very unlikely to be the best line in the NFL, but it is far better than it was before.
Give the Bears credit. After spending last offseason adding flashy skill position players like Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Rome Odunze to go with Williams, they put a much-needed emphasis on fixing the trenches.
Defense gets improvements too
Johnson is an offensive-minded coach but the Bears spent money on defense as well.
Odeyingbo ended up being a player who got paid a lot on potential. A former second-round pick, Odeyingbo had just 16.5 sacks in four seasons with the Colts, including four last season. But the Bears saw his upside, and he’s still just 25 years old.
Jarrett has a better resume, making two Pro Bowls in his 10 seasons with the Falcons. The Falcons cut him because his cap number had risen to more than $20 million and they saved more than $12 million on the cap by cutting him, but the Bears paid up for a player who will be 32 years old next season, hoping he has at least a couple good seasons left.
The Bears’ offensive line will be better. The defense will be too if Odeyingbo’s production finally catches up to his production and Jarrett still has something left. If all the moves work out, maybe the Bears can graduate from offseason champs to doing something in the postseason.
