Bear Digest

Bears Need to Sign a Free Agent Center Option Who Doesn't Hold

One free agent center is widely regarded as No. 1 but a closer look at the most important blocking numbers shows the Bears would be better off being frugal.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Commanders center Tyler Biadasz reacts in a game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Former Commanders center Tyler Biadasz reacts in a game against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

When Ben Johnson said after the season that the Bears had to start all over again, it's a good bet he didn't mean this.

Losing center Drew Dalman creates a colossal hole right at the heart of what the Bears built last year.

In a way, it's actually more like they regressed to before last season. It's not starting over. It's reconstruction of an offensive line that, from just after the bye week, had built an excellent working chemistry.

Caleb Williams got sacked 68 times in the horrible offense they had in 2024, then 10 times in the first five games in 2025. That was a huge improvement, but after Week 6 of Ben Johnson's first year they had only 15 sacks allowed for the last 14 games including the playoffs. They actually cut their sack total in half as they played together more, and cut it from 78 in Williams' first 22 games to 15 for his last 14.

Any drastic change becomes huge when this happens, and they'll need to go through this whole rebuilding process with the line now because of this huge change. Having a veteran like Joe Thuney next to the new center will be a help but can't solve every issue. It will be difficult.

Disaster for Bears

What can't be dismissed in this blocking talk is the importance of their running game. They began running it well by Week 5 against Washington and went from 28th running last year to third. Finding a center who can both block the run and pass is difficult to find, but not impossible.

Pro Football Focus would tell you there are options among the veteran free agents available. It's always much easier to plug in a veteran lineman than to take time to develop one, but not easier on the salary cap.

PFF's rankings have Baltimore's Tyler Linderbaum rated No. 1 and their metrics back this up, but there is much more to it than PFF's opinion on how blocks must be executed.

Metrics on the offensive line are a tricky thing and the best proof rests with more solid figures.

Best options don't commit penalties

One major strength for any lineman is an ability to play without penalties. Another is the ability to pass-block without being the reason for sacks.

The Bears got the best of all worlds with Dalman last year as he gave up one sack and only had three penalties. Only one of those penalties was a hold. Holding penalties are huge and real negatives, just like sacks.

Finding a lineman who can step in and play without penalties—particularly holds—and also avoid sacks is the goal. If they can block the run, it's great. But many of the run grades you see are the result of scheme and who's carrying the ball.

So it should surprise no one that the Bears had Tyler Biadasz at Halas Hall after being released by the Commanders.  Biadasz is available now because he was released by Washington after a decent season, as he enters a contract year.

Signing Linderbaum could reportedly require paying $20 million a year, according to ESPN.com's Dan Graziano.  That should scare off the Bears immediately, considering their cap situation.

"The Ravens hope they can keep free agent center Tyler Linderbaum, but plenty of people (at the combine) believe he will get offers that exceed $20 million per year, and that Baltimore won't want to go that high," Graziano said. "The highest-paid center in the league is Kansas City's Creed Humphrey at $18 million per year, and while (Ravens) GM Eric DeCosta told reporters at the combine that the Ravens had made a 'market-setting offer' for Linderbaum, that might not turn out to be enough."

Why Tyler Biadasz is a better fit

With their cap situation, paying $6 million more a year for a center than they would have for Dalman is not wise. The problem is, if Linderbaum gets $20 million it is going to push up the demands of all the centers in the market. If the Bears have an effective, cheaper alternative, they should consider him instead.

It's entirely possible Linderbaum is not worthy of pursuit at that rate. His greatest strength is supposed to be run-blocking but he has been blocking the run in what is perennially one of the league's best running attacks. It's one of the best largely because of the extra yards and the threat they get from a quarterback who is like another running back and one of the game's all-time best running backs.

Take a closer look at what happened in Baltimore with Linderbaum's predecssor. Bradley Bozeman left in free agency after his best year as a pass blocker and run blocker. He was blocking for a spectacular running QB in Lamar Jackson. He went to Carolina and then the Chargers, and his PFF grades comparatively fell off the face of the earth. His overall blocking grades haven't reached what they were in his last three years in Baltimore.

No more Jackson and no more Derrick Henry, no more high grades.

Could this happen with Linderbaum? It has to be a consideration for the Bears when deciding how to spend their money on a center.

As for pass-blocking, while Linderbaum allowed only five sacks in four years and two for the last three years, but he committed 12 holding penalties over his four years and committed seven in the last two years. In fact, of the leading free agents, Linderbaum by far committed the most penalties of all types in the last four years.

Linderbaum had 24 penalties in four years, Biadasz 14, Connor McGovern 13, Ethan Pocic 14 and Andre James 15. Dalman had 20 penalties in four seasons.

Those negative plays are like allowing sacks.

The goal should be to best replace Dalman with a center who allows the fewest negative plays, not just someone who gets high PFF grades. Those are highly subjective.

The Bears have a chance to sign a player in Biadasz, who allowed only two more sacks than Linderbaum over the last four years, but committed only six holding penalties for that period. That's half the number of holds Linderbaum committed.

While Biadasz's run-blocking grades haven't been as high as either Dalman or Linderbaum, they haven't been at the bottom of the league. They’ve been middle of the pack. The key point for the Bears is to weigh the cost against what they'd be getting against the price and find someone who protects Caleb Williams.

A player who holds less and allows close to the same number of sacks but is cheaper is a better investment.

They need to consider Biadasz and not worry about Linderbaum.

Biadasz is a solid choice as someone to replace Dalman. The best thing they can do is bring him in and use the money saved toward their defensive shortcomings, if not for a left tackle replacement for injured Ozzy Trapilo.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.