After Drew Dalman’s unexpected retirement, the Bears quickly targeted Tyler Biadasz as a potential replacement. Now that he has signed with the Chargers, Chicago must explore premium options at center with free agency approaching.
After the unexpected retirement of starting center Drew Dalman, the Chicago Bears suddenly find themselves with another need to address this offseason — and not nearly enough salary cap space to solve every problem.
From the moment Ben Johnson arrived as Bears head coach, retooling the offensive line has been a priority. The Bears gave a big contract to Drew Dalman, signed Jonah Jackson in free agency, and swung a trade for Joe Thuney that was quickly followed by a contract extension.
All of it was done to prioritize protecting Caleb Williams, establishing the run game, and building through the trenches.
Many teams and coaches overlook the interior of the offensive line. Ben Johnson is not one of them. And now the Bears suddenly find themselves without a starting center with free agency just a week away.
It didn’t take long for the organization to begin exploring replacement options.
Within an hour of the news breaking that Dalman was retiring, the Bears reportedly set up a visit with free agent center Tyler Biadasz.
Biadasz had been released by the Washington Commanders earlier this offseason as a cap casualty. That move freed him from his existing contract, making him eligible to sign with any team before the rest of NFL free agency officially begins.
Given his reported visit with the Bears, it briefly looked like Chicago might lock in a replacement before free agency even opened. That would have been an attractive outcome, especially given the team’s current cap limitations. Knowing both their roster need and exactly how much money they would have left to work with would have provided valuable clarity heading into the open market.
That possibility is now off the table.
The Bears missed out on Biadasz, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday morning.
According to a report from Pro Football Talk, the scheduled in-person visit between Biadaszand the Bears ultimately never happened.
It doesn’t completely pigeonhole Chicago, but it does leave them with fewer viable options moving forward.
Biadasz has started 84 NFL games in his career and has been a regular starter in each of the last five seasons. Back in 2022, he made the Pro Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys and was widely viewed as a competent starter who could come at a more affordable price than some of the higher-end options on the free-agent market.
But perhaps it’s the higher end of that market that the Bears are targeting.
Tyler Linderbaum remains one of the biggest names expected to draw interest in free agency. As things currently stand, the Bears are considered one of the potential landing spots.
Linderbaum is an excellent player. In fact, he’d likely represent an upgrade over Dalman — but it won’t come cheap. Some projections suggest he could command close to $18–20 million per year, which would make him the highest-paid center in NFL history. A deal of that magnitude would also take a significant bite out of Chicago’s available cap space unless the contract were heavily backloaded.
The biggest question hanging over the Bears’ offseason right now is what general manager Ryan Poles decides to do with the team’s remaining cap space.
Where does Chicago commit the majority of its resources? And which areas of the roster will the front office prioritize once free agency begins?
We should have a much clearer picture by this time next week.