Insider predicts Chicago Bears will prioritize major offensive line upgrades in free agency, NFL draft

The Chicago Bears' needs along the offensive line are well-documented, and one NFL insider believes GM Ryan Poles will make a hefty investment to fix the starting five.

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Anything less than a complete rebuild of the Chicago Bears offensive line this offseason will be viewed as a massive disappointment.

General manager Ryan Poles has plenty of resources to accomplish the team's most important roster priority. The Bears are among the five teams with the most salary cap space for NFL free agency, and they have three picks in the top 42 selections, including No. 10 overall.

In theory, Poles could spend big money on free agents like guard Trey Smith (Kanas City Chiefs) and center Drew Dalman (Atlanta Falcons) and use all three of his early-round picks on offensive linemen.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, all indications are that the Bears will go all-in on this year's top O-line upgrades.

"Darnell Wright gives the Bears one talented building block, Braxton Jones is another, and you can debate whether the two are a good enough tackle tandem to move forward with for the next half decade, but they at least give you a starting point," Breer wrote. "Signing a guard such as Trey Smith, who’s a high-character, tough, dependable player, would make sense, too.

"So maybe they’ll do it that way. Maybe they’ll draft a few. One way or the other, I’d expect more investment in that group."

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Bears have no choice but to spend big on offensive linemen

The Chicago Bears' offensive line is in a state of transition, and that's putting it lightly. Four of their five starting jobs are up for grabs, and that's probably a good thing.

The Bears were terrible up front in 2024, regardless of what some analytics websites want to tell you. Watch the games; Chicago couldn't block anyone when it mattered most.

Center Coleman Shelton routinely got forklifted into the backfield. Right guard Matt Pryor, while solid at times, was a heavy-footed waist-bender. Left guard Teven Jenkins couldn't be trusted to finish a game healthy, and left tackle Braxton Jones has no anchor.

Translation? the Chicago Bears will break the bank on Trey Smith and Drew Dalman. And they'll probably spend a top-10 pick on a player like Will Campbell (LSU) or Kelvin Banks (Texas).

Bears fans would love that kind of offseason, too. A top-tier offensive line is what coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams need to launch Chicago's new-era offense, which is quickly becoming the expectation as the 2025 offseason marches on.

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