ESPN analyst questions Chicago Bears’ decision to sign Drew Dalman

A large chunk of Chicago Bears Nation is super-hyped about center Drew Dalman’s arrival to the Windy City.

A large chunk of Seth Walder, not so much.

In his breakdown of GM Ryan Poles' splash signing, the ESPN pundit gave Chicago a disappointing grade of B-, citing cost and health issues for his less-than-positive review.

Are the Problems Actually Problems?

Walder compared Dalman’s deal to that of some past and present stud centers, saying, “If you think Dalman is in the second tier of centers just below Creed Humphrey or what Jason Kelce was when he retired, then this is fine. If not, then Chicago paid a bit of a premium. If it were me, I wouldn’t have dished out big money on all three interior spots.”

Fair point, but Bears QB Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times last season, and if any one area merits a huge spend, it’s the offensive line.

Re: the health thing, Dalman missed 12 games last season with a jacked-up ankle, but when he was on the field, Walder acknowledged that he still brought it, writing, “His 95% pass block win rate would have ranked ninth at center had he qualified while his 67% run block win rate was a little below average.”

Injuries, of course, are impossible to predict, but performance is less so, and based on Dalman’s work in 2024, we can fairly prognosticate that he’ll be a reliable cog in an O-line about which Caleb will be way psyched.

Our Grade

Bears On SI’s Bryan Perez liked the deal a whole lot more than Walder, grading the move an A, noting, “[Dalman] was the best free agent available at a position that the Bears needed to upgrade as much as any on the roster.”

Which explains why that aforementioned large chunk of Bears Nation—and, for that matter, Caleb Williams—are super-hyped.