It's no secret that the Chicago Bears need to make sweeping changes to their offensive line this offseason. Luckily, Chicago has the draft capital and cap space to build a new offensive line. That said, the task of rebuilding the offensive line just became slightly more difficult as one of the top free agents came off the board.
According to Adam Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs informed right guard Trey Smith he is being franchised tagged on Thursday. This is a surprising move, as it was originally reported when the franchise tag window opened that Kansas City would not be tagging him.
Chiefs have informed Pro-Bowl guard Trey Smith that he will be franchise tagged, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2025
Nevertheless, this means the Bears must pivot to acquiring a different guard to help their interior. Fortunately, one player with connections to the Bears' new coaching staff recently received permission to seek a trade.
Bears Should Look Into Trading for Jonah Jackson with Trey Smith Off the Market
On Wednesday, Los Angeles Rams offensive guard Jonah Jackson was granted permission to seek a trade. This comes after a season where Jackson started 2 games before sustaining a shoulder injury. Then, upon his return, he was moved to center for one game and was quickly benched.
Despite having a bad 2024, the 27-year-old guard could bounce back in Chicago. Prior to this season, Jackson spent the first four seasons of his career under new head coach Ben Johnson in Detroit with the Lions. In four seasons with Johnson as his offensive coordinator, Jackson nearly graded out in the top half of the league at guard twice, according to PFF.
Jackson finished the 2021 season ranked as the 33rd overall guard with a rating of 69.3 and a 76.4 run-blocking grade, according to PFF. In pass protection, Jackson allowed four sacks, nine QB hits, 22 QB hurries, and 35 QB pressures.
Jackson followed that season up with the best season of his career. In 2022, he was ranked the 34th-best guard, with an overall grade of 66.1 and a run-blocking grade of 70.3. Furthermore, he allowed four QB hits, 22 QB hurries, 26 QB pressures, and zero sacks. That performance earned him his lone Pro Bowl appearance in his five-year career.
While Jackson isn't the best pass protector, Johnson has shown an ability to work around that. Given that the former third-round pick isn't an elite guard, Chicago won't need to give up high draft capital.
Therefore, at 27 years old with two years left on his contract, Jackson would be a perfect fit for the Bears.