Chicago Bears fans who endured every game of the 2024 season are pleading with GM Ryan Poles to rebuild an offensive line that allowed a league-high 68 sacks, some of which fall on Caleb Williams.
But the Bears' struggles to create running lanes and maintain clean passing pockets have made the offensive line their top priority in 2025 free agency and the NFL Draft.
It's why the final 2024 offensive line rankings from Pro Football Focus is a bit of a surprise.
The Chicago Bears didn’t rank among the league’s best offensive lines, but they weren’t the worst either.
Instead, the Bears checked in at No. 24.
"While Chicago's offensive line failed to reach the potential many saw in it in the preseason, the unit was better than many people gave it credit for," PFF's Zoltán Buday wrote. "Four of the Bears' five projected starters earned PFF overall grades above 70.0, and all five topped 65.0. However, injuries and Caleb Williams’ pocket movement and awareness did the group no favors, resulting in the line allowing the most sacks in the NFL (37).
"The Bears may have surrendered the most sacks in the league, but they were “only” the 12th-worst offensive line in PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating (84.1). The unit allowed 180 total pressures on 682 pass plays."
Darnell Wright earned the team's best offensive lineman distinction, ranking 16th among all offensive tackles with a PFF grade of 79.3.
Analytics are valuable, and Pro Football Focus provides great insight for fans without access to a scouting department. But let’s be real: the Bears’ offensive line wasn’t good. No matter what the data says, it was nowhere near 'just' the 12th-worst pass-blocking unit in the NFL. They were the worst.
The eye test paints a much different picture than the analytics, which is why up to four new offensive line starters could be suiting up for the Bears in 2025.
