Updated: Mar 22
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a shocking 68 times in his first year as the Bears franchise quarterback, purely because of one of the most poorly constructed offensive lines in the NFL. But as a new era dawns in the Windy City, new head coach Ben Johnson and the Bears have wasted no time in reconstructing a new offensive line to get the best out of their face of the franchise QB.
Towards the end of the 2024/25 season, the Bears had an offensive line consisting of Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Matt Pryor, Ryan Bates, and Coleman Shelton, one of the most unattractive and worst offensive lines in the league, and the Bears number one priority come the offseason in the new Ben Johnson era.
With Chicago already having a core of good players across the board including Jaylon Johnson, Rome Odunze, and Caleb Williams, the hiring of new head coach Ben Johnson was bound to make Chicago a much much desirable place to go and play. And with Johnson taking no time at all to address their number one problem, he tackled it with authority.
It was four time Super Bowl champion Joe Thuney who was the first of three major acquisitions for the Bears in a trade with the Chiefs already making the O-line leaps and bounds better than before. But it was former all pro Jonah Jackson who came next as the Bears sent a sixth round pick this year in return for the proven guard. And it was today where the Bears capped off their massive overhaul of the O-line when the news broke that they had signed star centre Drew Dalman to a three year $42 million deal, turning down higher offers from other teams purely to come and play for Ben Johnson and this exciting Bears team.
The three acquisitions by Chicago early into the offseason really shows the determination and guts by the new coaching staff, but it may not even end there. With the new shiny interior to the offensive line, some still believe the left tackle position needs polishing up making it a perfect situation for the Bears to go out and draft Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks with the 11th pick of the draft to complete an unbelievable makeover to the offensive line. But regardless of who the Bears take in the draft, their new classy O-line will have fans excited, and will give Caleb Williams the opportunity to truly show his ability with some much needed pass protection.
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