When it became known that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was ready to spend on the interior offensive line this offseason, no one expected a move to come this soon.
But, Tuesday morning, the Bears went out and traded for Jonah Jackson by sending a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams. Last season, Jackson played just four games due to a shoulder injury ending his season early. But, he's a starting-caliber guard when healthy.
The kicker, here, is that Jackson played for Bears head coach Ben Johnson while with the Detroit Lions. So, he knows the scheme. This was clearly a move that came directly from Johnson, himself.
Jackson is a better run blocker than he is pass blocker, but he's a sufficient starter nonetheless. For Chicago to give up just a sixth-round pick for Jackson was a no-brainer, even if the Bears absorb all of Jackson's $17.5 million this year, between salary and bonuses.
Jackson's cap number for 2025 is still just $11.8 million per Over The Cap, which is feasible for Chicago to take on considering they had the league's third-most cap space ($69 million) before the trade.
Side note: for fans complaining about the contract, Jackson's salary isn't guaranteed in 2026. This is a great deal.
The Bears gave themselves more flexibility following the Jonah Jackson trade
Assuming we can pencil in Jackson as one of the Bears' starters on the interior, this figures to leave Chicago with only two starting spots they need to fill. Whether or not they'd like to improve the left tackle position by replacing Braxton Jones remains to be seen, but he's a sufficient starter as it is and the Bears might be content between he and Darnell Wright holding down the outside.
The Bears enter free agency with just a handful of big needs: two starting spots on the offensive line and one starting edge rusher. You could argue they need another starting linebacker after allowing Jack Sanborn to walk. One might also argue the Bears could upgrade at the defensive tackle position next to Andrew Billings, but Gervon Dexter is also a fine player there, for now.
Looking at this from a perspective of the Bears truly needing three major starters across both lines, Poles put them in place to be very flexible. They still have an ample amount of cap space to work with, even after the trade.
Don't forget, Chicago owns four picks in the top 72 of the 2025 NFL Draft, including the 10th overall selection. The Bears also have picks 39, 41 and 72.
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Between free agency and the first three rounds of the draft, fans should feel very comfortable that the Bears can fix the trenches. Just by filling one starting spot with the Jackson trade, that gives Poles a leg-up in the coming weeks.
For example, don't put it out of the realm of possibilities for the Bears to draft Ashton Jeanty at no. 10 overall. Some fans would hate it, but giving Ben Johnson a star running back might lead to some wonderful dividends for the Bears. If Chicago wanted Jeanty at 10 and then were to pick up a starter on both sides of the line in Round 2, that's still a massive win.
No matter what they decide to do, going forward, this one single trade gives the Bears leeway.
