Before free agency could even officially begin, the man who many around the NFL believed would be the primary target of the Chicago Bears — Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith — is already off the table. The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Smith, locking the 25-year-old Pro Bowler down for one more season, forcing Bears general manager Ryan Poles to pull a Ross Gellar and pivot (PIVOT!) to whoever Plan B is in Chicago’s quest to bolster their offensive line and keep Caleb Williams upright.
The Bears don’t just have one need along the offensive line that needs to be filled. You could easily make the case that aside from right tackle Darnell Wright, Chicago could use an upgrade in both the short-term and long-term. So just because the Bears won’t have the opportunity to make a play for Trey Smith, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should necessarily default to the next best guard on their board to be their marquee free agency acquisition. The entirety of the interior of Chicago’s offensive line needs an overhaul, and that includes center.
Enter Drew Dalman, the Atlanta Falcons starting center each of the last three seasons. Dalman’s 2024 season was briefly interrupted by an ankle injury that cost him eight games, but had Dalman remained healthy, it’s very likely that the former Stanford product would’ve been selected to his first Pro Bowl. He was rated as the 4th-best center in the NFL during the 2024 season according to Pro Football Focus, 3rd in 2023, and is considered by most as the best center available in the 2025 free agent class.
From a talent, timeline and need perspective, this would be a home-run signing for the Bears. At only 26 years old, Dalman fits well with Chicago’s current timeline, which is to say he’s young enough that he could conceivably (and ideally) be in the picture along with Caleb Williams for the next decade. His projected salary — 4 years, $56 million — isn’t necessarily cheap, but it’s also not so expensive that you can’t stomach it. As long as Caleb Williams isn’t getting sacked 68 times again next season, it doesn’t really matter how much money Poles spends on the offensive line.
New Bears coach Ben Johnson touts the importance of center position
If there were any lingering doubts that the Bears would look to upgrade at center during the 2025 offseason — whether it be via free agency or during the NFL Draft — then Ben Johnson put those to rest on Friday when he joined the Pardon My Take podcast and spoke about the importance of having a center who can make life easier for his young quarterback.
“It’s less about me and more about the QB,” Johnson said. “With Caleb being a second year player, and everything that entails, I thought he had a productive 1st year in terms of exposure of a lot of things that can go wrong. To help him out the most going forward, I do think we need a strong presence at center. A smart player who can set the table for a run game and a pass protection perspective.”