LAKE FOREST, Ill., — Going into this free agency period, the Chicago Bears had several key needs to address on both sides of the ball. Throughout the first day, general manager Ryan Poles did his best to address those needs and at least make an attempt to get them right.
With the biggest needs coming on the offensive and defensive lines, Poles has made five moves to fill the holes starting with trading for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson a week before free agency began. Then on the first day of the legal tampering period, Poles agreed to deals with Drew Dalman, Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett, once again addressing the trenches.
This year's start of free agency felt different for the Bears. Not only do they feel stable with their quarterback in Caleb Williams, they have a new head coach that is coming in as well in Ben Johnson. Poles' moves feel more 'targeted' this offseason, which is exactly what he should be doing.
2025 NFL free agency: Early grades for Chicago Bears' signings
The 2025 NFL free agency period is here and the Chicago Bears are making moves to fix the roster. We are grading every signing that Ryan Poles and the Bears make.
It's been an active offseason in the early goings of the 2025 league year for the Chicago Bears as general manager Ryan Poles has made massive additions to the roster.
Before free agency kicked off on March 10th, Poles and new head coach Ben Johnson set the tone by making a pair of trades to address the team's offensive line. First, the Bears traded a sixth-round pick for Jonah Jackson, reuniting him with Johnson after the pair worked together in Detroit. The Bears weren't done, however, as Poles orchestrated another big-time trade, bringing in all-pro left guard Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a future fourth-round pick. The Bears sent a message with those two moves: The time is now to be aggressive and address the trenches.
In the early goings of free agency, the Bears have kept to that theme of aggressiveness with an emphasis on the offensive and defensive lines. The Bears were active on day one, making a few splash signings, although they've avoided breaking the bank for any one particular player (up to this point). With cap space drying up, the Bears aren't likely to make any more major moves, but there are still needs across the roster that will be addressed ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. While the first few days of free agency represent a promising start for the Bears, there is still a lot of work to be done as more free agents continue to be added to the roster.
As the Bears continue their free agency process, I will be taking a look at what they have done so far and giving my quick thoughts as well as grades on each signing that the Bears have made. Grades will be determined by a combination of the quality of player signed, the value of the contract and the positional need that was addressed in the signing.
Here are my grades for the 2025 Bears' signings so far, with more expected to come in the future.
With Dalman's deal being $42M with $28M guaranteed, he's now the second-highest paid center in the NFL behind Kansas City's Creed Humphrey. Not a VIP subscriber to the Bear Report? Sign up now to get access to everything publisher Zack Pearson and the entire Bear Report team have to offer on all things Chicago Bears and access to the No. 1 site covering the team!
Contract: Three years, $42 million, $28 million guaranteed.
Grade: A-
Within the first hour of the start of the free agency, the Bears were able to secure the services of their top target, center Drew Dalman.
As a former fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, Dalman had spent his entire four-year career to this point in Atlanta. Dalman took over as the team's full-time starter in 2022, and over the last three years has quietly established himself as one of the most consistent and reliable centers in the NFL. Dalman's breakout season came in 2023, where he earned an elite 90 run-blocking grade according to PFF in Arthur Smith's wide-zone heavy scheme. While injuries kept him out a significant amount of time during this past season, Dalman posted a really solid 78.8 PFF grade, including career-high marks in pass protection.
For the Bears, Dalman represents the culmination of this team's plan to address the interior of their offensive line which has been a major problem over the last few seasons. Dalman is athletic and technically proficient, which has made him one of the best zone-blocking centers in the NFL and should provide the Bears an immediate upgrade in the run game. With that said, there are some minor question marks with the addition of Dalman. First is his fit in Johnson's offense, as he has typically run a combination of zone and gap schemes that require more of a power profile at the center position. This signing could be an indication that Johnson wants to run wide-zone as he puts together an offense that is best suited for Caleb Williams' talents. Another minor issue bringing this grade down is the fact that Dalman isn't necessarily an upgrade in pass protection compared to what the Bears got out of Coleman Shelton last year, as his lack of length and mass can be an issue against power rushers.
Despite some minor questions, Dalman gives the Bears a solid foundation at the pivot point of the team's offensive line that should help solidify a unit that struggled last year. Not only did the Bears upgrade their center position with a young, long-term piece, but they also did so at a solid value as Dalman's contract won't burden the salary cap over the next few years. Dalman is easily the best center the Bears have had since prime Cody Whitehair and should help Williams settle in ahead of a critical 2025 season.
Contract: Three years, $48 million, $32 million guaranteed.
Grade: C-
After addressing the offensive line, the Bears made a big move on the defensive line by signing Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year deal.
Odeyingbo was drafted in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 NFL Draft despite suffering a torn achilles during his final collegiate season at Vanderbilt. Odeyingbo earned his first significant playing time in 2022 but didn't break out until 2023 when he racked up a career-high 8.0 sacks. In 2024, Odeyingbo saw further increases in playing time and tallied 42 pressures, 3.0 sacks and a career-best 66.1 PFF grade.
Odeyingbo is a polarizing signing. From a traits standpoint, Odeyingbo fits exactly what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen covets in his defensive ends, with elite size, length and athleticism. Odeyingbo also has the positional versatility that many defensive coaches covet, playing all over the defensive line from edge to nose tackle on passing downs on some alignments. From a production standpoint, however, Odeyingbo's tape doesn't quite match the traits and flexibility he possesses. For his career, Odeyingbo has an 8.7% pressure rate with his best year coming in 2024 at 9.5%. Those marks are very similar to Demarcus Walker, who had a 9.4% pressure rate last year in Chicago before being cut ahead of free agency.
With this signing, the Bears are banking on Odeyingbo's traits, age and upside to outperform his previous production. If this coaching staff can maximize his physical tools, this could be a quality addition to the Bears' defensive line. With that said, there's nothing in his profile that suggests that he is a definitive upgrade over what the Bears had in Walker over the past two seasons. The contract that the Bears gave to Odeyingbo is fine given some of the other overpays on the market this year and there is upside to what Odeyingbo brings to the table, but this is an underwhelming signing in terms of the team's efforts to upgrade a defensive end room that needs pass rush juice.
Contract: Three years, $43.5 million, $28.5 million guaranteed.
Grade: C
After the signing of Odeyingbo, the Bears made another splash on the defensive line by bringing in veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett after he was cut by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week.
Drafted by the Falcons in 2015, Jarrett quickly established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL during his 10-year tenure in Atlanta. Jarrett was a key cog of the Falcons team in 2016 that made it to the Super Bowl and was the mainstay of their defense through multiple team iterations. Jarrett was named to his two pro bowls in 2019 and 2020, combining for 103 pressures and 11.5 sacks during that time period. After tearing his ACL in 2023, Jarrett had a down year in 2024 and with him aging at 31 years old, that ultimately led to his release this offseason.
This is an interesting signing by the Bears as Jarrett is a proven, veteran player who will bring leadership to the locker room and will help shore up one of the Bears' biggest weaknesses from last season. That being said, it is likely that the Bears are paying for past production rather than what Jarrett can provide on the field going forward at this stage of his career. Jarrett is going to be 32 years old by the time the season starts and has shown consistent decline over the past four seasons. At his best, Jarrett is an undersized three-technique with a lot of juice and a high motor that allows him to make plays in both phases against the run and pass. At this stage, the Bears likely aren't getting that level of player with this signing.
While this move certainly makes the Bears better heading into 2025, the contract is a bit questionable. Committing significant money to Jarrett on what is essentially a two-year deal is risky but can pay off if Jarrett can regain some of his earlier form. There is also the intangible benefit that Jarrett can add as a leader and mentor to young guys on the defensive line such as Gervon Dexter. In a rotational role, Jarrett can still be very productive and raise the floor of this unit, but shouldn't deter the Bears from adding more young talent at defensive tackle in the draft.
