When Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he was focused on rebuilding the team's offensive line this season, he wasn't kidding.
Poles came out hot this offseason making two trades for a pair of starting guards in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and opened the checkbook for center Drew Dalman, the consensus top player at his position in 2025 free agency.
The end result is a pricey new starting interior offensive line that will give second-year quarterback Caleb Williams an eternity to throw the ball.
Poles' commitment to the trenches is reflected by the team's new and costly payroll.
In 2024, the Bears had the NFL's cheapest offensive line, and it showed. They gave up a league-high 68 sacks, proving the old saying: "You get what you pay for."
This season, that won't be the case. The Bears now have the fifth-most expensive offensive line in the NFL, highlighted by an All-Pro, an ex-Pro-Bowler, and a Pro Football Focus darling.
Results are never guaranteed from free agency acquisitions. In fact, sometimes, the bottom can fall out even with highly decorated players like Thuney and Jackson.
But if one thing is certain, the Chicago Bears did everything within their power (and bank account) to make sure the offensive line was fixed. And the job might not be finished yet.
The Bears own the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they could target a left tackle to compete with Braxton Jones for the starting job.
Whether the Chicago Bears go that route in the first round doesn't really matter anymore. Even if they run it back with Jones at left tackle, the 2025 offensive line is the most talented the franchise has fielded in years.
No general manager can guarantee that the players they acquire will perform on the field. That obligation falls equally between the coaches and the players. But Ryan Poles did his part, and he deserves all the praise he's received early in the talent-acquisition calendar.
