Chicago Bears' ideal 2025 offseason plan focuses on Ben Johnson and the offensive line

The Chicago Bears' ideal 2025 offseason plan was recently identified, and it centers around Ben Johnson and the offensive line.

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The Chicago Bears made the biggest move of the 2025 NFL offseason when they hired Ben Johnson as their head coach. And while the euphoria of landing the league's top young offensive mind continues to linger, especially for a team that's been allergic to offense in recent years, general manager Ryan Poles still has work to do to ensure Johnson and Caleb Williams succeed.

The best way for the Bears to help Johnson and Williams reach their full potential is by upgrading the offensive line, which was among the worst units in the NFL in 2024.

You know the story by now: Williams was sacked an NFL-high 68 times last season, and while many of those sacks can be attributed to his hero ball mentality, the offensive line deserves much of the blame for the chaos that unfolded on most passing downs.

Unsurprisingly, the Bears are expected to invest heavily in veteran and rookie offensive linemen this offseason to build a starting five that allows Johnson to maximize his play-calling genius.

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Pro Football Focus recently outlined the ideal offseason plan for all 32 teams. For the Chicago Bears, upgrading the offensive line to support Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams was the top priority.

"Chicago will have the fourth-most available cap space ($79.7 million) and the 10th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to dedicate to the offensive line, and there’s a strong chance the team will draft another running back to improve the rushing game, too," PFF's Thomas Valentine wrote.

Sure, the Bears have a lot of salary cap space and a top-10 pick in the 2025 draft. But they also have up to four starting jobs that must be filled on the offensive line.

Chicago will absolutely need new starters at left and right guard. They need a starting center. Ryan Poles' comments at the 2025 NFL Combine suggest the Bears could be in the market for a new left tackle as well.

It's rare for an NFL team to overhaul an entire offensive line in one offseason, but Ben Johnson expressed confidence at the Combine that the Bears can do it this offseason.

Maybe they can. But I wouldn't bet on it. Instead, it's more likely the Chicago Bears will sign a surefire interior lineman upgrade, perhaps a fringe starter at one of the other three interior offensive line spots, add a rookie on Day 2 to fill the third interior line role, and run it back with Braxton Jones at left tackle.

That would at least be a step toward fixing the offensive line, but it wouldn’t be the full overhaul that Bears fans are hoping for in Year 1 under Ben Johnson.

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