Last season seemed like a near-perfect performance from the Chicago Bears' offense, showing significant improvement from the 2024 season.
The offense went from one of the worst in the NFL in 2024 to ranked sixth in total offense and third in rushing. A big reason for the success was the offensive line that was rebuilt into one of the best units in the NFL, but after the stunning retirement of Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman and starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo's injury, Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox believes the Bears' offense's worst-case scenario could be the offensive line regressing again.
"It must be noted that Williams and Co. benefited greatly from a 2025 revamping of the offensive line. The quarterback was sacked just 24 times after being sacked 68 times as a rookie. The ground game ranked third in yards per carry after ranking 27th the previous season. There's no guarantee that Chicago's line will replicate its 2025 level of play. Center Drew Dalman retired after just one season with the Bears, while left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a ruptured Patellar tendon during the playoffs.
The Bears have taken steps to reload the line once again, signing Jedrick Wills Jr. and Garrett Bradbury while drafting Logan Jones in Round 2. Ideally, these additions will help ensure that there are no major issues along the line. If there are issues along the line and the unit performs more like it did in 2024 than in 2025, however, Williams and the offense overall could regress."
Changes to Bears' offensive line could jeopardize the 2026 offense
One good thing to note is that the Bears have two All-Pros still on the offensive line in 2026. Left guard Joe Thuney and right tackle Darnell Wright are two of the best in the NFL at their positions, so they are still solid there. Even with right guard Jonah Jackson, the Bears have solid starters that are in place.
The new starters will have Bears raising a lot of questions with projected starters Braxton Jones at left tackle and Garrett Bradbury at center. Jones appears to be on the right path and has been getting praised by his head coach, Ben Johnson, for how he has approached the offseason. Bradbury still has to battle with rookie Logan Jones, but Johnson's praise towards Bradbury is an encouraging sign.
There might be just as many questions about the future of the offensive line with Jones and Trapilo. The question is whether they could end up as long-term starters at their positions, or whether they will not live up to the early expectations for each?
Read more: Bears fans pray NFL voice's best-case scenario for offense is a reality
Chicago's offensive line finally got into a good spot last year with a great performance in pass protection and run blocking, so the last thing they need is to go back to how things were two years ago.
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