The Chicago Bears have one fewer option in their search for a starting center.
On Friday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that center Tyler Biadasz, released by the Washington Commanders last month, has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers on a three-year, $30 million contract. The news comes three days after Drew Dalman's unexpected retirement and the reports — which were later debunked — that Biadasz was set to visit the Bears.
Dalman's decision created a huge void for Chicago, which had stellar offensive line play a season ago. Dalman, who signed a three-year, $42M free-agent contract last offseason, played a huge role as one of the league's best centers. An example of this was his eighth-place finish among interior linemen in ESPN's pass-block win rate rankings. Overall, the Bears ranked first as a unit in pass blocking and fifth in run blocking.
The ex-Bears offensive lineman appeared in all 19 games and was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his five-year career. Walking away from the game after reaching that level of success is a surprising decision, to say the least. Now, Chicago must pivot to moves they weren't expecting to consider this offseason.
Chicago Bears Could Aim Higher After Tyler Biadasz Signs With Chargers
After being released by the Commanders, Biadasz was eligible to negotiate before the league's legal tampering window opens on Monday at 12 p.m. ET. He would have made a fine replacement, making the Pro Bowl in 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys and starting 80 of a possible 85 games over the past five seasons, proving to be a reliable interior presence. Losing him to Los Angeles shouldn't be a major concern, though.
Biadasz signing elsewhere might be for the best, as long as the Bears can lure a bigger fish in free agency. Per Sports Info Solutions data, Biadasz had a career-high 27 blown blocks in 2025. His 4.4 percent blown-block rate on run plays was the fourth-highest among centers with at least 300 rush snaps. He ended the season with 19 total points earned, defined as a player's expected points added contribution on each play, his lowest since becoming a full-time starter.
Still looking for a center, Chicago can pursue pending Baltimore Ravens free agent Tyler Linderbaum. The three-time Pro Bowler was among the league's best centers in 2025, posting the lowest run-play blown-block rate (1.3 percent) among players at his position with at least 300 snaps. He recently ranked third on NFL.com's list of top 101 free agents this offseason.
The only negative to pursuing Linderbaum is the likely financial component. Per ESPN's Seth Walder, Linderbaum is projected to earn $24.35M annually on his next contract, considerably more than Biadasz's $10M AAV. Considering the Bears have to sign two starting safeties and a corner, they may not be willing or able to win a bidding war for Linderbaum's services.
Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern would be a cheaper alternative with a projected AAV of $12.66M. He ranked fifth among interior linemen in pass-block win rate, per ESPN, in his second year at the position after predominantly playing guard from 2020-23.
The Bears still have options after Biadasz agreed to terms with the Chargers. Even after whiffing on the former Commanders lineman, Chicago still might hit a home run.