Former Pro Bowl OL with ties to Ben Johnson just became available, could be someone worth looking into for the Bears ahead of free agency
Earlier this week, Chicago Bears general manager noted at the 2025 Scouting Combine he intends to be "aggressive" this offseason in acquiring players that can take the team to the next level.What that fully means remains to be seen, but it's likely that the Bears do everything in their power to acquire better talent up-front […]
Earlier this week, Chicago Bears general manager noted at the 2025 Scouting Combine he intends to be "aggressive" this offseason in acquiring players that can take the team to the next level.
What that fully means remains to be seen, but it's likely that the Bears do everything in their power to acquire better talent up-front on the offensive line.
It's a need both Poles and head coach Ben Johnson noted will be important to correct this offseason and there's different ways to do so.
The first involves spending high dollar in free agency to land the likes of Trey Smith, Drew Dalman, Kevin Zeitler, etc. The other avenue involves identifying top talent in the 2025 NFL Draft to select up-front.
There is also one other option, which would involve making another pre-draft trade for an offensive lineman, and the ideal name just popped up on the trade block.
Bears Should Inquire About Rams OG Jonah Jackson
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Rams gave permission to offensive guard Jonah Jackson to seek a potential trade. Usually when this happens, it means the team is likely to out-right cut the player unless they could receive a late-round compensation if Jackson finds a suitable partner.
The Rams signed Jackson last offseason to a sizable 3-year, $51 million deal as a free agent. Jackson spent the first four years of his career with the Detroit Lions. Jackson suffered a shoulder injury in training camp with the Rams that landed him on the injured reserve in 2024 and was later benched one game after being activated.
But, during his time in Detroit, Jackson was a solid starter at left guard, playing in Ben Johnson's offense. After being drafted in the third-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jackson started all 32 games in his first two seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
To gather more about Jackson's time in Detroit, I spoke with our A to Z Sports Detroit expert Mike Payton, here's what he had to say:
"Jackson was drafted by the Lions in 2020 and by 2021, he had become a Pro Bowler. In 2022 he started to take a step back. He dealt with injuries that year and then again in 2023 as well as having arguably his worst season. The Lions went from looking to lock him down for an extension to allowing him to leave in free agency and upgrading with Kevin Zeitler."
Clearly, the injuries have caused Jackson's career to slide off the tracks, but restarting elsewhere with a familiar play-caller could be what he needs. The only problem is the Rams would have to trade or release him before the $8.5 million roster bonus becomes guaranteed on March 12.
If the Bears, or any other team, decide to make a trade, Jackson's 2025 salary would be $9 million and another $9 million in 2026.
The Bears need to find a replacement for Teven Jenkins at left guard this offseason and could explore offering as high as a conditional sixth-round pick to land Jackson and maybe a late-round pick swap, given the Rams would likely cut him anyways. Then, you could have Jackson and someone like Ryan Bates compete to start at LG.
Given the cap hit and injury history, it might not be the best option to fill the void but it's something the Bears should at least look into prior to the start of free agency.
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.
