It appears that for the second straight season, almost everyone has loved the Chicago Bears' offseason moves. That was until ESPN writer Seth Walder came in and lowered expectations.
Walder's most recent article graded each NFL team's offseasons with his favorite move and his least favorite. He gave the Bears a B- as he first enjoyed the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach, praising the potential Johnson can bring to Chicago in his first year.
"The Bears' biggest offseason was luring Johnson out of Detroit to become Chicago's new head coach. Predicting the efficacy of a first-time head coach is very hard -- and maybe I'm making the same old mistake -- but I think Johnson is about the best first-time head coaching candidate you can imagine. He has multiple years of getting the most out of his players and should provide the Bears with an offensive schematic advantage for years if he works out. There are no guarantees, but there's a huge chance Chicago upgraded its coach.
The move Walder disliked the most was the signing of defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. More of the complaint came with the contract structure they gave Jarrett.
The Jarrett deal was awful value. They gave him a three-year contract averaging $14.25 million with $28.5 million fully guaranteed, per Roster Management System. That includes a full guarantee on his 2026 base salary when Jarrett, who has been steadily declining, will be 33. Jarrett's pass rush win rate at defensive tackle has dropped every season from 2019 (22%) to 2024 (9%), and he suffered a torn ACL in 2023."
How did the Bears fair in the offseason?
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and Johnson did a great job of addressing the biggest need on the roster: offensive line. They traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson while signing center Drew Dalman which should resolve the issue of allowing an NFL-high 68 sacks last year.
Their draft was excellent, especially in the first two rounds, as they secured their star quarterback, Caleb Williams, with two pass catchers in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. Offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo was another significant move that will give Chicago a future starter at left tackle.
On defense, Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo were signed to help bulk up the defensive line with more pass rushers. Rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II was selected and is projected to start, which is a concern as the Bears don't have a ton of experience at the position outside of T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Noah Sewell.
Read more: Ben Johnson's candidacy for award revealed (with harsh criticism of Caleb Williams)
Overall, the Bears did exactly what needed to be done to ensure Williams has everything he needs on offense. This is a solid roster and the coaching staff is perfectly put together by Johnson. It's all whether they can all put this thing together and get back to the postseason for the first time in four years.