For three offseasons, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has had the opportunity to bolster the offensive line. And, for three offseasons, Poles has failed to do so, more or less.
At the moment, you could argue this offensive line only has one surefire starter in Darnell Wright. Maybe, Braxton Jones is the solution on the left side.
But, what cannot be left up for debate is the Bears' need on the interior. With Teven Jenkins unlikely to be re-signed due to his inability to stay healthy, the Bears are going to need all three interior starting positions filled.
That has to happen through free agency and the draft, of course. With free agency opening up in mid-March at the start of the new league year, it will be the Bears' first opportunity to address this glaring issue.
And, if one NFL insider is correct, the Bears could be in heavy pursuit of the top interior lineman on the market. In his latest column, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler highlighted Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith as his no. 2 overall free agent. He also noted his expectation for the Bears to be a contender for his services.
"Some inside the league are watching Chicago here. General manager Ryan Poles, who needs to drastically improve his interior offensive line for new coach Ben Johnson, was in Kansas City when the Chiefs drafted Smith. Several teams have him as the top overall free agent," Fowler wrote.
Trey Smith would be a home run signing to kick off the Bears' 2025 free agency spending
For those unfamiliar with Smith, he's currently en route to play in his third-straight and third career Super Bowl with the Chiefs. The 25-year-old is, by far, the best free agent offensive lineman this year and, as Fowler noted, some view him as the top overall free agent, regardless of position.
He is one of the best run-blocking guards in the game today and just now entering his prime. But, beyond his prowess in the ground game is his knack for keeping quarterback Patrick Mahomes clean.
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All of 2024, Smith gave up a total of zero sacks.
Yes, you read that correctly: zero. And, he accomplished that while starting all 17 games and playing a grand total of 708 pass blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Obviously, that was good for first among all interior linemen.
So, while he gets a lot of recognition for being dominant in the run game, don't look over the fact that he is just as good in pass protection. And, blocking for a quarterback with similar tendencies to Caleb Williams, in Mahomes, will bode well for his fit in Chicago.