The Chicago Bears are coming off an 11-win season that featured a playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers in Ben Johnson’s first season as the head coach.
Expectations have been raised for the 2025 NFC North Champions and for good reason. Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams should have Bears fans believing now is the time to compete for a Super Bowl.
Drake Maye, who was selected two picks after Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft, helped lead the Patriots to the Big Game this past season. The goal is well within reach, but the Bears must continue making smart moves to elevate the roster.
And a gaping hole was just created at center after 27-year-old Drew Dalman informed the team that he was retiring.
Bears now much find the right center for Caleb Williams
The Bears have plenty of needs that must be addressed going into the 2026 season, but general manager Ryan Poles can’t replace Dalman with just any other center. To ensure Williams and the rest of the offense continue to ascend in Year 2 with Johnson as the play caller, the Bears must get a difference maker at the position.
When Johnson was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2022-2024, he had Frank Ragnow at center. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman was a Pro Bowler in all three seasons and made second-team All-Pro in the last two years Johnson called plays.
Ragnow helped keep Jared Goff upright as he passed for over 4,000 yards in the three seasons Johnson called plays. And the Lions’ center also helped pave running lanes for Detroit’s potent rushing attack.
That later is such a fundamental part of Johnson’s offense. The Bears, with Dalman, finished as the No. 3 rushing team in the NFL.
Dalman also played a pivotal role in helping Williams on a snap-to-snap basis, diagnosing defenses, identifying blitzes and helping the young quarterback make the right checks before the snap.
Here is what Williams said about Dalman in mid December last season.
“Drew Dalman is — like I said, I call my o-linemen the Avengers, and so all of them collectively form a very formidable team to go out there and go to war with,” Williams said. “But Drew Dalman is — I call Drew Dalman the Hulk. He's the brains and all of it, but when he gets out there and on the field, he's strong as can be, fast and, and the right guy for the job for us and my future and our future here. So I'm excited for that and I'm happy that he's here with us and with me, and we're gonna keep growing together, and we're gonna keep finding ways to help each other out in this tenure that we have together.”
Williams, Johnson, the Bears’ offense needs that stabilizing force at center. A difference maker who allows the Bears’ head coach to call the offense without restrictions while also working with Williams to help him grow as a complete quarterback.
Although there are some talented prospects in the upcoming draft, Poles needs to look at veterans in free agency. Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum stands out above the rest. The Ravens did not franchise tag Linderbaum, meaning the 25-year-old will hit free agency.
According to Pro Football Focus, the former No. 25 overall pick out of Iowa is projected to make $20 million a year and could earn $53 million guaranteed, which would be a hefty price to pay.
Maybe that’s too high an asking price for just one player, but the Bears’ front office can’t get too strict with money when it comes to a position that directly impacts the quarterback and the rest of the offense.
Read more: Ryan Poles' decision-making this offseason will drastically impact Bears' future
Center wasn’t a position before this week, but it’s now the top priority for the Bears, one week before free agency officially begins.