Bears offensive line story became even more impressive after two major challenges failed to derail Chicago’s greatest strength
The Chicago Bears completely revamped the offensive line in the first year under head coach Ben Johnson, but what was more impressive is how the organization survived two major challenges to keep that strength just as strong.
The Chicago Bears had one of the biggest positional turnarounds in NFL history with the way the organization rebuilt the offensive line going into the first season under head coach Ben Johnson, a process that started by hiring one of the top OL minds in football in offensive line coach Dan Roushar.
After that, the Bears simply needed better talent. Which led the Bears to acquire Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Ozzy Trapilo in the span of a few months. Those additions paid off with the Bears cutting Caleb Williams’ sack number down from 68 to 24 while ranking Top-5 in pass block win rate (73.6%) and run block win rate (73.5%).
What’s more impressive is how the Bears managed to keep that strength just as strong going into the 2026 season despite having to deal with not one, but two, major challenges this offseason.
Chicago Bears had another impressive offseason when looking at the state of the offensive line
Forward-thinking approach with Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson
Before we get to the challenges the Bears overcame and the additions made this offseason, we first have to revisit the moves that landed the Bears its two starting offensive guards.
The first trade was acquiring Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams, a player Johnson had experience with in Detroit who played at a Pro Bowl level in this scheme. Soon after the trade was made, Chicago doubled-down on the confidence level in Jackson by adding a another year to his deal, keeping him under contract through the 2027 season.
The biggest move, though, was easily the acquisition of future Hall of Fame left guard Joe Thuney. It was a steal of a trade for the Bears and Thuney rewarded Chicago by earning the NFL’s first ever Protector of the Year award. Like with Jackson, the Bears made a forward-thinking decision soon after the trade was made by handing Thuney a two-year extension that kept him under contract through 2027.
Those two quick extensions, without even seeing them in action, were bold moves but ensured that the Bears would have at least two high-level protectors for at least three seasons, no matter what.
Sudden retirement of Drew Dalman forced the Bears into an incredibly difficult situation
Coming out of the 2026 season, it looked like the Bears were going to have the stoutest interior offensive front in football with Thuney and Jackson at guard and Drew Dalman at center. Dalman signed a three-year deal with the Bears as a free agent, in line with the same window as Thuney and Jackson through 2027.
He immediately looked like a bargain as well serving as the quarterback of the offensive line. Dalman notched his first Pro Bowl and it seemed like his best football was still ahead. However, Dalman made the shocking decision to retire from football just one year into his contract, forcing the Bears into an incredibly tough situation.
The Bears thought they jumped the center market by one year when they acquired Dalman as the market was bound to balloon after the 2025 season. But, just like that, Chicago was back in the market for a starting center, along with multiple other teams.
Instead of taking their chances in free agency makking a costly run at Tyler Linderbaum, Tyler Biadasz, Cade Mays, or Lloyd Cushenberry, the Bears pulled off another heist of a trade landing Garrett Bradbury for the price of a future fifth-round pick.
Bradbury has plenty of starting experience, history playing to the right of Thuney, is coming off a start in the Super Bowl, and has a decently priced one-year contract remaining. It was a no-brainer option that no one even considered.
To double down on securing the long-term strength at the position, Chicago used a second-round selection on Logan Jones, the prospect the team identified as the top-ranked center in the class. Whether it’s Bradbury or Jones that starts in 2026, it’s incredible the way the team managed that situation to make sure they didn’t miss a beat.
Overcoming the Ozzy Trapilo injury and the reestablished confidence in Braxton Jones
The second obstacle the Bears were forced to overcome involved the left tackle position. It took months for the Bears to settle on a starting left tackle in 2025, which was easily the biggest Achilles’ heel of the team’s offensive line. Four players ended up starting at left tackle, counting Thuney’s playoff switch. The player that showed the most long-term promise was second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo.
However, Trapilo suffered a patellar tendon injury in the team’s Wild Card Round matchup, an injury that comes with a 9-12 month recovery timeline. That all but eliminates Trapilo as a viable option for 2026 and forced the Bears to go back to the drawing board at left tackle.
Multiple options could have presented itself for the Bears to fill the position for 2026 such as Rasheed Walker or Cam Robinson. Johnson even had brief contact with former Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker following his release. Ultimately, the Bears re-signed former fourth-round pick and four-year starter Braxton Jones to a one-year deal.
Jones opened the 2025 season as the Bears’ starter at left tackle, but it soon became apparent that something was off in his game. Jones later admitted that he was still dealing with physical and mental limitations resulting from a fractured fibula he suffered late in the 2024 season. After four weeks, he was benched and never returned to the lineup with an uncertain future.
As unfortunate as Trapilo’s injury was, it opened the door for Jones’ return and for the Bears to give him another look. Jones has since returned looking like a brand-new man and with new perspective after being benched. When camp opens later this month, Jones is expected to be the lead option and perhaps show Chicago the best version of himself that they’ve ever seen.
One last key move is still to come with Darnell Wright
The fifth and final piece of Chicago’s offensive front we’ve yet to discuss is right tackle Darnell Wright, who’s well on his way toward being one of the top players on this entire roster. Wright is coming off his first breakout season in which he earned second-team All Pro honors and was the engine in which this offense ran through.
What made Wright’s season even more impressive is that he played essentially half the season with a torn UCL in his elbow and yet never saw a drop off in his performance. Wright is entering the fourth year of his career and is eligible for his first extension.
That deal is expected to be done before training camp kicks off and will pay Wright among the highest-paid offensive tackles in football. Once that deal is done, Chicago will have one of its top offensive pillars locked up for years to come to continue building around.
It’ll be the last big move the Bears will make to ensure this strength continues to remain a strength, not just in 2026 but for future years as well. It’s a rare and exciting then to even consider for the Bears, yet it’s the reality we are in.