Windy City Gridiron
Following a three-year stretch with just 15 combined wins, the Chicago Bears made sweeping changes this offseason. While most of the pieces appear to be in place, what are realistic expectations for Year 1 of Ben Johnson
The Chicago Bears and their fans have become no strangers to “winning” the offseason over the last few years. When general manager Ryan Poles took the reins of this franchise in 2022, he quickly ripped the band-aid off a roster that was one of the oldest in the league. Despite a severe lack of draft capital and cornerstone pieces, the plan seemed clear from the start. Over the team’s last three offseasons, they’ve had four first-round selections, five in the second round, and two third-round picks, giving them 11 premium selections in the previous three draft classes.
Following an extensive teardown in Year 1, the Bears have ranked within the Top 5 of cash spending regarding free agency, trades, draft classes, and contract extensions. In addition, Chicago has kept just three players on the 90-man roster who were here before 2022 (Jaylon Johnson, Cole Kmet, and Cairo Santos). Of Poles’ four draft classes, 27 of the drafted 34 players remain on the roster, including only one pick in the first three rounds.
With most of the team’s roster-building specifics addressed, let’s examine their acquisitions over the last few months.
Heading into March, all three starters along the interior of the offensive line were free agents. When the Bears hired Ben Johnson, it was assumed he would push hard to solidify the offensive line in Year 1. Teven Jenkins was the only player who would have been justifiable to bring back, but even then, his lack of availability over his first four years was alarming. Trey Smith had long been the apple of many fans’ eyes, but once the 25-year-old was franchise-tagged, Chicago needed to get creative to fill holes and substantially improve that group. Those circumstances led them to execute a pair of trades within 24 hours of each other. First came Jonah Jackson for a 2025 sixth-round pick. Shortly following that was the surprise acquisition of All-Pro Joe Thuney. Despite turning 33 in mid-November, he was precisely the type of stabilizer that could help the Bears quickly flip the talent level on their offensive line.
It would have been easy for the new pairing of Johnson and Poles to feel “good enough” about the two improvements on the offensive line. That’s exactly what would have happened in the previous three years under former head coach Matt Eberflus. Instead of waiting until the draft to address center, they struck quickly once the legal negotiation period opened by giving Drew Dalman a three-year deal. Suddenly, Chicago went from one of the worst interior offensive lines in football to a group that could be one of the best. Fortifying the interior was a must for a young quarterback like Caleb Williams. Adding more competition at left tackle with Ozzy Trapilo in the second round was...
