Bill Barnwell identifies Ryan Poles’ aggressive overhaul of the offensive line as Chicago's premier transaction, securing vital protection for Caleb Williams through strategic trades and draft picks.
The Chicago Bears made moves on both sides of the ball this offseason.
Starters Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, D.J. Moore, Tremaine Edmunds and Drew Dalman departed the team in one form or another.
Byard and Brisker left in free agency, with Dalman announcing his retirement beforehand after making the Pro Bowl in one season with the Bears.
Edmunds and Moore were cap casualties.
Edmunds was released and Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills, giving the Bears a combined $31.5 million in cap space.
In free agency the major acquisitions Chicago made were Devin Bush and Coby Bryant. The Bears also traded with the New England Patriots for center Garrett Bradbury.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, Dillon Thieneman, Logan Jones, Sam Roush, Zavion Thomas, Malik Muhammad, Keyshaun Elliott and Jordan Van Den Berg were added.
Now that the smoke has cleared, ESPN's Bill Barnwell weighed in on what the best move the Bears made this offseason. He believed it was bolstering the offensive line.
The Bears had one of the best offensive lines in football last season, and Caleb Williams was sacked just 24 times as a result.
The late-season injury to Ozzy Trapilo forced the Bears to rethink their strategy at left tackle, re-signing Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet, as well as adding Jedrick Wills Jr. from the Cleveland Browns.
At center, the job is expected to be won by Bradbury. Jones is a good option for the future if he isn't able to beat Bradbury for the starting role.
"In a free agent market where there weren't many plug-and-play solutions at those positions, general manager Ryan Poles was able to add multiple potential contributors at both spots," Barnwell said. "At center, the Bears traded for Patriots pivot Garrett Bradbury, who started all 17 games for a team that made it to the Super Bowl. Poles then used a second-round pick on Logan Jones, who won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center in 2025. Jones should be the team's long-term replacement at the position for Dalman. Left tackle is always going to be trickier to fill, but the Bears have options. Athletic Canadian Theo Benedet, who had several starts at the position last season, is back in 2026. Poles brought back Braxton Jones -- who was the team's primary option at left tackle for most of his four years with the organization -- on a reasonable deal at one year and $5 million. And the Bears took a flier on 2020 Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr., who was impressive as a rookie before injuries took a toll."
The good thing about the offensive line is that the Bears are still set up pretty well, even though Dalman retired and Trapilo suffered an unfortunate injury. Benedet and Jones already know the system, and Wills is another short-term option if either of those two can't get it done at left tackle.
Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright are all returning after solid outings in 2025.
Bradbury is no slouch after having a very productive season for the Patriots last season. The Bears got him for a 2027 fifth-round pick, so they didn't have to give up too much in draft capital for a reliable player at center.
It could've been easy for General Manager Ryan Poles not to worry about the offensive line, but the moves he made are looking pretty good right about now.
