The Chicago Bears have made a concerted effort to upgrade the trenches on both sides of the ball to open up the legal tampering period on Monday.
The Bears signed former Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million deal. Then they followed up Dalman’s deal with the addition of former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo on a three-year, $48 million contract.
As you can imagine, Bears fans were excited about those two moves. But Chicago did not stop there as they signed veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to a three-year, $43.5 million deal ($28.5 million fully guaranteed), per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The veteran defensive lineman was released earlier on Monday by the Falcons after spending 10 years in Atlanta. The 31-year-old defender is coming off a solid 2024 season, where he had 53 combined tackles, 12 quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Jarrett recorded a 60.6 pass rush (98th among 219 qualified defensive linemen) and a 61.5 run defense (54th) grades on PFF, which doesn’t move the needle. However, Jarrett had his 2023 season cut short by a torn ACL.
Bears fans hope Jarrett can show that he still has some gas in the tank playing in Dennis Allen’s scheme. Last season, Chicago allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game (136.3), which the Bears will want to improve in 2025.
On paper, the Bears’ defensive line is much better now than at the end of the 2024 season. The additions of Jarrett and Odeyingbo paired with Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter, should take this defense to the next level.
That said, the Bears cannot rest on their laurels through the first day of NFL free agency. They just need to continue to add to the trenches if they want to compete in a tough NFC North.