Should the Chicago Bears Pursue Tyler Linderbaum in Free Agency?

Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman shocked the NFL world on an otherwise slow Tuesday afternoon by announcing that he will retire from the NFL after just one season with the Chicago Bears. The 27-year-old had signed a three-year, $42 million contract last year on the first day of free agency, and immediately rewarded the Bears as one of their three 2026 NFL Pro Bowl players. It looked like the Bears finally had their first long-term solution at center for the first time since Olin Kreutz, but Dalman is apparently done playing football.

ESPN sources: Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman has informed the team that he is retiring from the NFL at age 27. Dalman left Stanford in 2021, and after four seasons in Atlanta and one in Chicago, he has made the sudden and surprising decision to retire. pic.twitter.com/SKJcXa1res
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2026

General manager Ryan Poles now faces a big test. How is he going to replace a Pro Bowl-caliber center and keep the offensive line cohesion from 2025 together in 2026? Luckily for Poles, one solid answer is staring him right in the face and is set to be a free agent next week: Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.

A three-time Pro Bowl center, Linderbaum was drafted by the Ravens with the No. 25 pick in 2022 and has been one of the best centers in the NFL since then. In 2025, he finished with a PFF grade of 80.3, the best of his career. And with the Ravens opting not to put the franchise tag on Linderbaum, he's set to be a free agent.

Can the Chicago Bears afford the highest-paid center in NFL history?

Tyler Linderbau — Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Some Bears fans will scoff at the idea of signing Linderbaum. It's no secret that Linderbaum expects to reset the center market with a historic contract extension, and the Bears are currently over the salary cap limit for 2026 as it is. However, that's not as big a stumbling block to a Tyler Linderbaum deal as it appears. For one thing, Drew Dalman's retirement will help the Bears' 2026 salary cap situation.

Secondly, Poles still has plenty of levers to pull when it comes to clearing up salary cap space. Releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds would provide $15 million of cap space, and restructuring Montez Sweat's deal could supply another $15 million in cap space. In short, the Bears' salary cap situation isn't nearly as bad as it seems.

The Chicago Bears can't afford to skimp on Caleb Williams' development

In terms of salary cap space, yes, the Bears can afford to pay Linderbaum a record-setting contract. More importantly, however, the Bears cannot afford not to invest heavily in Dalman's replacement for one simple reason, and that is Caleb Williams' development. Getting Williams from a young up-and-comer to a bona fide superstar is the linchpin of the Bears' future hopes. As he goes, so goes the team, and that means his development is more important than literally anything else regarding roster construction.

Yes, Chicago's defense needs an overhaul. Yes, the Bears need to prepare for some hefty contract extensions coming their way. But none of that will matter if they don't give Williams everything he needs to succeed. Just look at the leap forward he took in 2025 after significant investment in the offensive line and his group of pass catchers. Caleb Williams' breakout season was everything Bears fans had hoped for, and he can still be so much better than even that.

The Bears already needed to find a replacement left tackle, and now they need a replacement center. This is not the time to go bargain bin shopping for two of the most important offensive line positions. Not when Williams is just beginning his ascent to superstardom and needs consistency from his pass protectors more than anything.

The Bottom Line

Drew Dalman has retired, and there's nothing the Bears can do about that now. All they can do is make a plan for replacing his production in 2026, and that should trump every other roster concern the Bears had going into the offseason, in my opinion. A generational center is about to hit free agency, and Ryan Poles needs to make sure he outbids everyone.

Can the Chicago Bears afford the highest-paid center in NFL history?

The Chicago Bears can't afford to skimp on Caleb Williams' development

The Bottom Line

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