The Bears Have Already Retooled the OL Ahead of Free Agency
Anyone with a working pair of eyes could have told you that the Bears’ most glaring weakness entering this offseason was their offensive line.
They seemed to (finally) have gotten the memo in that regard, as they wasted no time fortifying the trenches ahead of the start of free agency next week.
The first domino fell yesterday when it was announced that the Bears would send a sixth-round selection to land Jonah Jackson from the Rams. The move naturally conjured up mixed reactions. The draft compensation was minimal, but many were upset that Chicago agreed to take on the remainder of his contract, as the Rams signed him to a 3-year, $51 million deal last offseason. There is still some gray area around his contract; just how much the Bears will be paying him this year (some reports said he will be making $11.8 million, while others said he will make $17.5 million), but there is no doubt that he is going to be a massive upgrade on the interior if he can stay healthy.
PHOTO: Chicago Bears/Facebook
An aspect of Jackson’s game that sets him apart from many of the pending free-agent guards is his position versatility, as he played 107 snaps at center last season, along with 93 and 66 snaps at left and right guard, respectively. While I think the Bears brass has intentions of moving him to the right side, they could conceivably play him at center if they like the guard options more than who might be available at center (I think Drew Dalman is a longshot at this point based on how much money they now have tied up on the interior) in free agency and the draft.
Calling Jackson’s addition a Band-Aid might not be out of touch, but it doesn’t do him any justice for just how good he was under Ben Johnson in Detroit. I know he was in four years removed from his lone Pro Bowl season (2021), but he was still good enough every year in Detroit for the Rams to make him the eighth highest-paid guard in the league. He was consistently good (and occasionally very good) throughout his time in Detroit.
If Jackson struggles to stay healthy or fails to regain his form from his days in Detroit, the Bears can cut bait after this season while only taking a $2.8 million cap hit. That is well worth the risk for a franchise starved of quality offensive line play over much of the previous decade.
The ink on the Jackson acquisition hadn’t even dried at the league offices before Ryan Poles struck another deal for an offensive lineman. This time, he landed three-time Pro Bowler Joe Thuney for next year’s fourth-round pick. Unlike yesterday’s trade, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Bears fan who didn’t love the addition of the Chiefs’ reigning team MVP (or an NFL fan who didn’t applaud them for the move). It was as close to a fleece as you will ever see when it comes to Kansas City’s usually savvy front office.
In Thuney, who made the Pro Bowl in each of the previous three years, the Bears are getting someone who seems to be only getting better with age. Likewise, they are also getting someone who has only missed two games in his career. This past season was awe-inspiring for the 32-year-old, as he had an extended stint at left tackle for the first time in an attempt to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside (because their options at tackle were bad, to say the least). Unsurprisingly, it was business as usual for Thuney at that spot.
Under different circumstances, he is the type of player that the Chiefs would have loved to retire in Kansas City. However, the writing was on the wall when they slapped Trey Smith, who is seven years younger than Thuney, with the franchise tag last week. A team as talented as the Chiefs always has to make tough decisions, and they decided to get something for him while he was still under contract rather than letting him walk in free agency next year.
The move was similar to Chicago’s trade for Keenan Allen last year, as he will provide a much-needed veteran presence to a relatively young (at least before the two most recent moves) offensive line room.
It feels safe to say Thuney played a role in the development of Smith and Creed Humphrey alongside him on the interior of Kansas City’s offensive line, and the Bears are surely hoping he will finish his career in Chicago so he can have a similar effect on their unit. Likewise, much like last year’s trade, they do not need to extend him to justify the acquisition, as a fourth-round pick is worth the price of admission for one season of high-level play on the interior, considering the calamity that was Chicago’s 2024 offensive line.
The approach isn’t only an aggressive one for the Bears standards, it is also a near-unprecedented move across the entire NFL. Say what you will (and many of you have) about Jackson’s injury history, but he is still only 28 years old and is a former Pro Bowler. I can’t recall any team pulling off trades for two quality offensive linemen in one offseason, let alone two days.
What Do These Moves Mean?
For starters, these moves indicate the Bears probably don’t feel great about the depth amongst the guards who will be putting pen to paper during this year’s free agency period. Recent reports indicate that Aaron Banks will sign a contract that pays him somewhere in the $18-20 million range, and if that’s true, it feels safe to say Mekhi Becton and Will Fries will also be breaking the bank. While they may be quality starters, none are worth that type of money.
Free agency always provides an opportunity for quality starters to make top-tier money. That is a major reason you rarely see top-tier teams go on spending sprees in March (besides the fact that they usually have their money tied up in their QB). Likewise, it is also a major reason players get released one year into a multi-year deal (Jackson fits this category). Teams overpay for need and often end up regretting it. Could the Bears regret trading for Jackson? Sure, but their dead cap won’t suffer nearly as much as if they swung and missed on a big-ticket free-agent addition.
Had they not pulled off these moves, the Bears would have had to shell out big contracts to proven mid-level starters.
They absolutely needed to retool the offensive line and didn’t want to be counting on three rookie starters up front.
It could have been a recipe for disaster if they didn’t ace their evaluations, which is always difficult to do come draft season. Now, all they really need is one more guaranteed starter up front and competition at left tackle in case Braxton Jones struggles to return from his broken fibula.
While the Bears are still a few players away from fortifying their roster, they still have $51 million to fill their remaining needs this offseason.
More importantly, they now appear to be in a position to choose the best player on the board whenever they are on the clock in April.
With three picks in the top 41, they should be able to do some serious damage there as well.
The game may have just started, but the Bears are clear early favorites for the offseason Lombardi once again.
PHOTO: Chicago Bears/Facebook
Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
