Bears just got burned by their first free agent target and now must be prepared to enter a bidding war for the top dog next week
One of the top centers on the free agent market is already off the board.
The center market in free agency is expected to be an aggressive one next week in the NFL and a new threat entered the race in the Chicago Bears following the sudden retirement of Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman earlier this week.
Last offseason, Dalman was one of the first signings made by the Bears, agreeing to a three-year, $42 million contract, and was expected to be a impactful player for Chicago for years to come. It was clear head coach Ben Johnson has tremendous value for the position and it wasn’t one the Bears were planning to skimp out on addressing again.
“He is going to be the quarterback of our offensive line,” Johnson said of Dalman last year. “He’ll be setting the protections in the run game for us. That’s something he has done in the past. And I think we can put even more on his plate than what he has been exposed to previously. I’m excited about that. He is still learning. He’s still growing as a player. He has not hit his ceiling yet either.”
Now, the Bears are back to square one in search of the new quarterback for the team’s offensive line. And one top target is already off the board that the team already showed interest in.
Los Angeles Chargers sign C Tyler Biadasz ahead of free agency following his release
Earlier in the week, the Washington Commanders released starting center Tyler Biadasz, a 28-year-old with over 80 starts in his career. Minutes after Dalman announced his retirement, it was reported that Biadasz was en route to Chicago for a visit with the team. However, the Bears let him out of the building and he’s already landed with another team, signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bears now need to cross one name off the free agent list when it comes to acquiring a new starting center. There’s still plenty of capable options set to hit the open market next week, but the Bears seem to be getting prepared to enter a bidding war for the top dog at this point.
Bears are clearing plenty of cap space to potentially make a run at Tyler Linderbaum
The biggest name set to hit the market on the offensive line is easily Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. The 25-year-old is already a three-time Pro Bowl selection in the NFL after just four seasons and now is prepared to cash in on a record-breaking contract.
Linderbaum is projected to land a deal that will be worth over $20 million per year with plenty of interested teams that can push that cost up even higher. For context, the highest-paid center in the league is Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, who makes $18 million per year.
He truly is the big fish for teams looking to make a splash on the offensive line and one of the few options that would actually be an upgrade over Dalman for the Bears. The problem will going after Linderbaum is that signing him would likely drain the majority of the team’s available cap space and force Chicago to bargain hunt at other positions. But, the upside comes from landing a 25-year-old stud that can be a franchise pillar at the position.
The Bears have already made major strides this week in creating available cap space after trading wide receiver DJ Moore ($16.5 million in savings) and releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds ($15 million in savings), not to mention the savings that come from Dalman’s retirement.
Needless to say, Chicago is loading up to make this kind of run for Linderbaum if it’s a path they want to go down. If not, the team will look toward other options such as Connor McGovern, Lloyd Cushenberry, Cade Mays, or Sean Rhyan.
Chicago Bears News
Bears make one last tough decision ahead of free agency but now have plenty of space to make some big splashes next week
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