Once new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson entered the doors of the team's facility, the mission of the offseason was clear: rebuild the offensive line. Their three new interior offensive linemen just instantly became the most critical piece to the Bears' 2025 puzzle.
CBS Sports writer Jared Dubin named the most important non-QBs on each NFL team. Chicago has Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson to look at as the most important Bears on the roster entering the new season.
"The Bears remade their offensive line this offseason in dramatic fashion, starting with a trio of pickups on the interior: they traded for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, then signed Drew Dalman.
If it all comes together how the Bears envision it doing so, they can more reasonably replicate the formula that new head coach Ben Johnson developed during his time with the Lions. The Bears presumably won't have the best line in the league like those Lions did, but they weren't going to be able to do anything Johnson wanted to do if they didn't make significant changes this offseason. They did make those changes, though, and now things have a chance to be much different for them than they were a year ago."
Caleb Williams needs all the help on the line from the new guys
Thuney and Jackson were brought in via trade to help solidify the guard positions. Dalman signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Bears during free agency to give the Bears a new starting center.
Why was the offensive line so important? Starting quarterback Caleb Williams got sacked an NFL-high 68 times during the regular season. Yes, some of those sacks were on Williams, and that is something Johnson is going to work on with him, but that doesn't account for the rushing lows of the team.
The Bears were 25th in the NFL last year in rushing yards per game with 102. Starting running back D'Andre Swift had the worst season of his career in terms of average yards per carry as he hit under four yards per carry for the first time.
While everything is about building the roster around Williams, the Bears need to be able to run the football efficiently, so it isn't all on Williams. Johnson prefers a balanced, creative offense that incorporates both running and passing the ball.
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Thuney, Dalman, and Jackson enable the Bears to do more on offense with both running and passing, while providing better protection on the inside. But if those three guys can't be the foundation of the offense like Chicago is hoping for, it could end up being an expensive mistake by the Bears.