The Chicago Bears' free agent priority is not named Trey Smith

Experts predict the Chicago Bears will be active in free agency next month, focusing on their offensive line. One popular name that many are linking to the Bears is Kansas City Chiefs' guard Trey Smith. Smith is expected to surpass Philadelphia's Landon Dickerson to become the highest-paid guard in the league. Despite the competition, the Bears should have no problem paying and should not be outbid.

Still, one position that demands immediate attention is the center. The Bears have struggled with consistency at this crucial spot, and it does not help that general manager Ryan Poles has not done enough to fix it. But signing free agent Drew Dalman from the Atlanta Falcons could be the key to stabilizing an offensive line that gave up almost 70 sacks this past season.

Ryan Poles must stabilizing the center position this off-season

The center position has been a revolving door for the Bears since Cody Whitehair had a Pro Bowl season in 2018. Since then, the team has tried James Daniels, Sam Mustipher, Lucas Patrick, and Coleman Shelton at center. How many times have we screamed their names when they failed to block or committed a bone-headed penalty? Signing Dalman, who is 26, would end this cycle of instability and give the Bears a dependable center who can anchor the offensive line for years to come.

As the Bears focus on getting the most out of their run game under new head coach Ben Johnson, Dalman is known for his exceptional run-blocking abilities. In 2024, he earned a run-blocking grade of 79.8 from Pro Football Focus, and they ranked him fourth highest center in 2024, with a pass block win rate of 95.1%, placing him ninth among centers with at least 500 snaps.

While we can agree adding both Smith and Dalman would be a dream scenario for the Bears, the NFL raised the salary cap this past week, and the odds of Trey Smith hitting free agency may have diminished even if the Kansas Chiefs are not using neither franchise nor transition tag. The free agency will tell a lot about how committed Poles is to building the offensive line in the mold of what Ben Johnson wants and investing in Dalman is a significant step towards building a competitive and stable offensive unit.