Bears' OL trades are setting the team up to draft best player available in Round 1, which could mean taking the draft's most explosive weapon
Last week at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson laid out exactly what the plan would be for the offseason.The Chicago Bears planned to be aggressive in adding players that checked the required boxes and aimed to address all the pressing needs prior to the 2025 Draft […]
Last week at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson laid out exactly what the plan would be for the offseason.
The Chicago Bears planned to be aggressive in adding players that checked the required boxes and aimed to address all the pressing needs prior to the 2025 Draft to set the team up in the best possible position.
"It's a big puzzle, and free agency comes first," Poles explained at the Combine. "There's a lot of unknowns in the draft in terms of who's going to be there for you. I talked about that before. You can have philosophical beliefs in how you build a football team, how you prioritize, but the supply has to match the needs and those opportunities have to present themselves at the right time…
"So we're starting to put that puzzle piece together. But what I like about really the pairing so far with free agency and the draft, I do believe that the supply of players are matching our needs."
Days after making those statements, the Bears started getting to work acquiring talent. On Tuesday, the Bears traded for Jonah Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams and the next day made another trade to land Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Those two guards help fill two of the three glaring needs up-front on the offensive line before free agency even opens. Once free agency opens next week, the Bears will still have over $50 million in cap space and will still be big spenders.
The two positions to focus on now are center and defensive end, which would fill two more major needs well ahead of the draft. By adding players such as say Drew Dalman and Khalil Mack at those two spots, things will look even sweeter for the Bears.
If finding a starting center and edge rusher is attainable in free agency, the Bears will be sitting in a great spot with the 10th overall pick to select the best player available, regardless of remaining roster needs. Here's what that could look like:
Ashton Jeanty
Let's start with the obvious. There's no question that the Bears and running back Ashton Jeanty have mutual interest in joining forces. Poles discussed adding to the backfield this offseason and then the Bears sat down with Jeanty at the Combine. They're also expected to schedule another 30-visit soon with the top RB prospect.
Adding Jeanty after making all the above moves would be a slam-dunk offseason for the Bears. Jeanty is a special talent and could dominate the ground game while growing with quarterback Caleb Williams for years to come.
In the short-term, he would form a formidable tandem with the shifty D'Andre Swift inside Ben Johnson's scheme. Don't rule this out if all the boxes continue to be checked and everything else lines up between now and April.
More OL Upgrades
Even after trading for two starting guards and saying the Bears add a starting center in free agency, that doesn't mean we should fully cross off drafting another offensive lineman in the first-round.
Thuney has one year remaining on his current contract (although he is expected to be extended) and Jackson's deal is basically a one-year deal with a 2026 team option. Poles also mentioned the possibility of adding competition at left tackle with Braxton Jones entering the final year of his deal.
If the board falls right and a top offensive line prospect such as Will Campbell (who will be getting a 30-visit), Armand Membou, or Kelvin Banks Jr. are available, it would make sense to continue building the front early in the draft.
Defensive Front
As for the defensive front, signing one edge rusher shouldn't eliminate this option either, especially if that addition is an older veteran such as Khalil Mack.
The Bears need multiple bodies on the defensive line who can rotate and be impact players. *See the Philadelphia Eagles defensive front for example*
Targeting a top interior or edge defender in the first-round is another viable possibility. If someone like Mason Graham starts to slide, the Bears might pounce. The front office has also done extensive research on Mykel Williams as well.
Needless to say, the Bears are going about this process in the right way. Fill in the needs first with impact veterans and then see how the board falls in April.
Bears 2025 Mock Offseason: Predicting the team’s free agent signings, trades, and draft picks after what we learned at the NFL Combine
Chicago will be aggressive this offseason.
