Bears linked multiple times to three other free agent OL after the 2025 Combine with Trey Smith taken off the market
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is great for a lot of things. Teams get the opportunity to meet with top prospects and see them preform in on-field drills, coaches and general managers get a chance to address the media and preview the upcoming offseason, and things get discussed quietly and eventually linked among all the […]
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is great for a lot of things. Teams get the opportunity to meet with top prospects and see them preform in on-field drills, coaches and general managers get a chance to address the media and preview the upcoming offseason, and things get discussed quietly and eventually linked among all the people in attendance.
Oh yeah, and big moves can still be made like the Kansas City Chiefs deciding to franchise tag right guard Trey Smith, making him the highest-paid guard per year in NFL history. That can happen too.
And the aftermath of Smith getting placed on the franchise tag was a bucket of cold water thrown right into the face of Ryan Poles and the entire Chicago Bears organization.
For weeks now, we've discussed Smith as the top free agent target for the Bears and now he's not even hitting the market, which could send the Bears into a scramble. Just two days before that was announced, Poles noted he plans to be aggressive in patching up the roster, which of course involves signing new starters up-front.
The Bears need to add at least three interior starters this offseason and it seems like the team would initially prefer to find those starters in free agency.
And now, some new potential names are starting to leak after the Combine. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler each mentioned the same three offensive linemen being linked to the Bears, which is very notable.
Those three players were center Drew Dalman, left guard Aaron Banks, and right guard Will Fries.
Drew Dalman
Let's start with Dalman, who has long been linked to the Bears, even before Trey Smith was taken off the market. The former Atlanta Falcons starter is easily the top name at the center position and I fully believe the Bears will aggressively pursue this guy.
Right now, I see Dalman jumping the $12.5 million a year that Lloyd Cushenberry got from the Tennessee Titans last offseason, and might even jump the $13.5 million a year that Frank Ragnow got from the Detroit Lions.
The Bears have to get the center position right. For context from Biggs, the Bears have had four different Week 1 starters at center over the last five seasons. During the Combine, head coach Ben Johnson noted the importance of having a strong presence at center for your quarterback. Spending big on Dalman is worth it.
Aaron Banks
Seeing this name linked twice to the Bears was equally intriguing and concerning. Fowler noted that the 27-year-old former second-round pick is in line for a "sizable" contract in free agency based on how the guard position was paid last year.
Banks has started 43 games for the 49ers over the last three seasons and in 2024 allowed just one sack in 13 games. In Week 16 against the Dolphins, Banks suffered an MCL injury that ended his season and might be priced out of the 49ers' plans.
The range for his market is somewhere around $15 million. As a guard, Banks is enormous and strong, which fits what the team likes to find at the position. The only concern is the number of pressures, not sacks, Banks has allowed. Since taking over as the starter in 2022, he's allowed just three sacks, but 96 total pressures.
Will Fries
As for the new top option at right guard, it seems Will Fries is the one getting his named mentioned among league circles. Fries looked fantastic in 2024 before suffering a fractured his tibia that ended his season in Week 5.
However, it seems like that injury won't have much of an effect on his market. The Colts still want to bring him back in 2025 and could put up a fight and the Bears won't be the only outside team looming to snatch him.
With Fries, you're looking again at the $14-15 million range, which is much cheaper than what Trey Smith would have costed the Bears.
While these three were mentioned among multiple reports as being linked to the Bears, don't rule out Brandon Scherff, Kevin Zeitler, Mekhi Becton, or Evan Brown as outside options for the Bears to pursue as well.
Bears Ryan Poles made it clear he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to fix the team’s biggest need going into free agency
Seems like they plan to be big spenders.
