Skip to main content
Bear Digest

How the Bears' Offensive Line Strategy Looks Like a Roll of the Dice

The Bears last year relied on a similar strategy at numerous offensive positions and made it work but it's easy to wonder if it can succeed as they try again.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., a 10th overall pick, is carted off the field following an injury.
Former Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., a 10th overall pick, is carted off the field following an injury. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

A year ago, the great success of Bears draft picks selected by GM Ryan Poles was partly due to the ability of coaches to develop young players at a rapid rate.

It was shocking because this kind of thing hasn't normally happened to the Bears over the years even though it should.

Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and even undrafted Jahdae Walker rapidly  advanced to become difference makers.

They're leaning heavily on coaches again on offense, except this time on the offensive line. They did it already in determining which center would be brought in to replace Drew Dalman after his sudden retirement. They're planning to do it at left tackle now with what is essentially a blind draw. It's nothing new for left tackle because of what happened last year.

Back to square one at left tackle

"There's a lot going on at the left tackle position," is how Poles  described what they're facing after adding Jedrick Wills to a mix that already includes Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and possibly Kiran Amegadjie to fill the position vacated with Ozzy Trapilo's injury.

"We’ve got guys that played the position this year in terms of Theo," Poles said. "Braxton, that you had crack at it early; he was dealing with some things. I'd like to see him get back healthy, to compete for that spot.

"With Jedrick, if you go back to early in his career before the injury, playing at a really high level."

Wills was actually the 10th overall draft pick of 2020 and an outstanding pass blocker per Pro Football Focus grades as a very young player. He had a weird knee injury and the solution was cutting into his femur to do a joint realignment. He didn't play last season.

“I injured a couple ligaments," Wills said. "But usually when people get fallen on or something in their knee, they mess up all their ligaments and people can just go in and repair it and they get healthy. I had minimal damage to my ligaments.

"It was more of an alignment issue from where I got fallen on."

Dan Roushar and assistant Kyle DeVan will need to do with this group what coaches Antwaan Randle El and Jim Dray did last year. But they already showed they could do this to some extent when they had Trapilo ready to play after Jones' injury led to his replacement by Week 6.

They see Wills as a real alternative should Jones again fail to block like he had prior to his 2024 ankle injury.

"He's a guy that we want, Dan and Kyle to lean into," Poles  sad. "I think we have phenomenal offensive line coaches, two really good ones that do a fantastic job developing players. They’re going to lean into Jedrick, spend time with him, we think there is a connection there between our coaches and him.

"He's willing to put in the work. We have an unbelievable performance staff that's going to help him get his body right so he can compete at high level. At the end of the day, like any position, we want competition. We want guys to rise to the level and at some point, when we get to September someone is going to take that job. I’m excited to see how that works out.”

It's not like having Trapilo back or a veteran All-Pro coming in but at least it shows  there is a plan behind what looked like throwing a bunch of bodies at the position and hoping.

Center of attention

As for center, realistically they weren't beating $81 million for three years to sign Tyler Linderbaum when two or three other teams with a lot of cap space were about to bid him up. Roushar and DeVan already gave their input with Ben Johnson on which center to bring aboard once it was apparent they couldn't get a top-end center, and then they traded a Day 3 pick for Bradbury.

"The big thing for us is finding the right fit in terms of what's going to be  adaptable and that's going to fit into especially the outside zones scheme, mid zone," Poles said. "We went through that list and what's best for us. You go to free agency (or) you can trade.

"We felt like the best thing for us to do was to make that trade with a veteran center, who has played with a young quarterback before, who is very good with his communication. (He's) smart, been in different systems. We feel like he can plug in and have command of that O-line.”

Bradbury snapped to Drake Maye in a Super Bowl 2025 season, has been with the Vikings and Patriots and was a better option than most of the other free agents but also a less expensive player.

Basically, they're looking at their offensive line coaches to buy them time.

They need time for Trapilo to regain health. They need time for a young center they bring in with the draft or for guard Luke Newman to convert and be ready to play at a position where experience is essential. 

It's an approach they made work last year across the offense.

However, in a highly competitive division, after a season when they won so many times by the skin of their teeth, it's very easy to wonder if it's possible at all to count on such tactics in lieu of elite-level talent at critical positions, like left tackle and center.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Home/News