The proverbial sophomore slump is upon the Chicago Bears with Caleb Williams. Even 2023's record-setting rookie CJ Stroud, saw a decline in his numbers with the Houston Texans in his sophomore season in the NFL.
General manager Ryan Poles knows he needs to pull out all the stops to avoid that with his new franchise cornerstone. That started with acknowledging that bringing in a new head coach, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, was a must.
Additional moves needed to be made as the Bears have strong draft capital and an abundance of cap space to upgrade many spots on the roster. That's exactly what Chicago did to kick off the offseason.
After already trading for a pair of guards in Joe Thurney and Joanh Jackson, the offensive line received a major renovation and improvement. In 2024, Chicago's offensive line gave up a league-high 68 sacks and they ranked towards the bottom ten in rushing offense.
Six Bears to Be Sitting on the Bench in 2025 (If They Return at All)
On Monday, Chicago's front office made several announcements regarding free agent signings. This series of moves created a high level of job uncertainty for six Bears players. One of the multiple signings, one key addition was at the center position.
Anchoring the middle of the starting offensive line is Drew Dalman. Despite seeing limited action last season, the Bears were willing to sign him to a three-year, $42 million deal with $28 million in guarantees.
While it remains to be seen if Coleman Shelton is re-signed, Doug Kramer is likely on his way out. With the Bears having multiple picks on Day 2 (Rounds 2 & 3), it's hard to imagine that the Bears keep both Shelton and Kramer. Bringing in a rookie center for depth surely ends Kramer's tenure in the Windy City.
The 27-year-old local product was drafted out of the University of Illinois in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. With the Bears bringing in Dalman on a multi-year deal worth about $14 million a year, Kramer is almost as sure as gone. Even if Chicago tenders Shelton, he would be unlikely to start over Dalman.
With the addition of the two new veteran guards in addition to both the remaining cap space as well as draft stock, guards Matt Pryor and Ryan Bates should be sweating. Pryor is a free agent now, while Bates is a free agent next spring.
With the right free agent signing or the compatible selection in next month's draft, Pryor and Bates may have already played their last down for the Bears' offensive line. With Poles already hinting that
"I would probably argue and say if you get a good pass rusher and you draft a pass rusher, you can't have enough good ones. I think we all watched that last game of the season and that proves to be true. You want to see how you could put the puzzle together where you can kind of fill all the needs perfectly. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't."Ryan Poles, GM of the Chicago Bears
Montez Sweat now has a new teammate to line up with on the Bears' defense. On Monday, Chicago also signed Dayo Odeyingbo. He, too, signed a three-year deal worth $48 million.
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett joins Dalman in leaving the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC North. His deal is worth an estimated $43.5 million for three years, as well.
These new additions make players like Darrell Taylor and Jacob Martin expendable. Taylor is 28 years old and Martin is 30 years old. With more money to spend and viable options come April's draft, it's hard to see both of these players returning for the 2025 NFL season on the Bears' roster.
Players come and then they go. Sometimes that's the way things blow — especially in the Windy City.