Evaluating reactions to the Chicago Bears' 2025 free agency moves

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles understood the assignment this year. He came into this offseason knowing that he needed a great head coach and to fix the offensive and defensive lines. His response? Hire the best head coaching candidate in years and address the trenches with each of his first six free agency moves.

Inevitably, with this much hype around the Bears, there has been no shortage of wild predictions for the Bears. How many of these takes are overreactions to offseason hype? Let's take a look at a few.

Take: The O-line is fixed.

The Bears poured money into the interior of their O-line this offseason, swinging two trades for guards and signing the best center available. All three are significant upgrades over their starting guards and center from last season. Is it safe to say Chicago's O-line woes are over?

Overreaction

The starters look great, that's not in dispute. But the Bears are one O-line injury away from watching quarterback Caleb Williams once again run for his life. Their depth is awful, and given the near inevitability of injuries, they still have a lot of work to do. The 2025 NFL draft will provide ample opportunity to stock the shelves with quality backups.

Tate Ratledge — Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Take: The Bears overpaid for Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo

Chicago's two moves on the defensive line last week didn't garner the same amount of praise as their solutions to the offensive side of the ball. Jarrett is a big name in the NFL and Odeyingbo has shown promise, but Poles shelled out a lot of money for an aging veteran just two years removed from an ACL tear and a boom-or-bust young player.

True, but still an overreaction

There's one thing that fans of every NFL team just have to accept: you have to overpay in free agency if you want to sign anyone. Drafting, developing, and extending players is the only way to acquire elite talent for relatively cheap contracts, but that takes a long time and a lot of things have to go right.

Free agency generally offers instant upgrades, and NFL teams have to pay a premium for that. Did the Bears overpay Jarrett and Odeyingbo? Yes, but that's the name of the game. Besides, if these moves work out, no one is going to care how much they're making.

Grady Jarrett — Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Take: The Bears are ready to contend for the NFC North

If it feels like we hear this every year, it's because, most years, we do. It's the season of hope for NFL fans. Fans of teams who made a deep playoff run in January are convincing themselves that they're ready to go all the way now, while other fans are talking about being the one to surprise the experts and pull a 'worst-to-first' jump.

Bears fans are no different.

Not an overreaction

Some Bears fans may not like it, but it's high-time we set real standards for this team. It's Poles' fourth year. He hired a rockstar head coach, already drafted a quarterback with generational abilities, and has now invested heavily in the trenches. Those are the three key ingredients in fielding a winner.

And as much as the Bears improved this offseason, the rest of the division either stagnated or lost. The Lions lost both coordinators and are primed for a regression. The Vikings lost breakout quarterback Sam Darnold and are mired in a QB controversy. The Packers haven't really done anything.

There's a realistic road to the NFC North crown for the Bears, and it mostly depends on Johnson and Williams. If those two maximize their potential in 2025, the sky's the limit.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bears from Chicago Bears on SI —

More Chicago Bears News:

Chicago Bears face one major obstacle to landing Ashton Jeanty in 2025 NFL Draft

Chicago Bears earn elite grade from The Athletic for Drew Dalman signing

Ryan Poles was visibly thrilled listening to Bears coach Ben Johnson discuss the intensity of the offseason program

Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman explains how revamped offensive line will help Caleb Williams