Bears HC Ben Johnson gives flowers to a player who plays a position that rarely gets credit after he rose to a major challenge in Week 10
The Chicago Bears knew the team had a tough upcoming challenge in Week 10 against the New York Giants, despite what the records showed on paper going into this matchup.Head coach Ben Johnson noted earlier in the week that the Giants’ defensive front would be the toughest unit his offense has faced all season and […]
The Chicago Bears knew the team had a tough upcoming challenge in Week 10 against the New York Giants, despite what the records showed on paper going into this matchup.
Head coach Ben Johnson noted earlier in the week that the Giants’ defensive front would be the toughest unit his offense has faced all season and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen previewed the challenge rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart would bring with his mobility.
It took all 60 minutes, and a little breaks going their way, for the Bears to pull out a 24-20 win. After reviewing the tape, Johnson made sure to give flowers to one player in particular, not named quarterback Caleb Williams, for the way he played in Week 10.
Ben Johnson had high praise for Drew Dalman after his game vs. Dexter Lawrence
Starting center Drew Dalman had a tough assignment entering Sunday’s game as he was tasked with going up against Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, a player Johnson considered Top-2 in the league at his specific position.
“That was certainly a matchup that we were looking out for,” Johnson said during his interview with Jeff Joniak on ESPN Chicago. “It doesn’t matter who your center is, and we got a darn good one, that’s one of the best nose guards in football. He aligns on the center 99 percent of the time, he’s tilted, he gets his hands on you, he hugs that neutral zone. A strong player.
“I thought Drew did a nice job throughout that day. We tried to help him out with some guard play as much as we could. But, that certainly wasn’t on every play. I thought Drew did a nice job throughout.”
New York’s three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle finished the game with just one pressure on 33 pass rush snaps against the Bears on Sunday and had a run defense grade of a 51.0 according to Pro Football Focus.
As for Dalman, his 72.2 offensive grade was the fifth-highest on the team with the third-highest run block grade (73.5). Sunday was Dalman’s fourth consecutive game without allowing a single pressure, the longest such streak of his career.
When the free agency period started back in the spring, the Bears wasted no time locking up Dalman on a three-year contract and going into the process, Johnson made clear how important that position is to running a successful offense.
“To help (Caleb Williams) out the most going forward I do think we need a strong presence at center,” Johnson explained at the 2025 Combine. “Smart player that can help set the table for a run game and pass protection perspective.”
While he’s had some hiccups with the QB-C snap exchange, Dalman has been that for the Bears and is playing some of his best football so far through 10 weeks this season. He’s absolutely been a rock in the middle of the offensive line.
It might be a position that receives little praise, but for the way he played in this particular matchup, Dalman deserves all of the flowers and good on the team’s head coach for recognizing that.
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