Grading the Bears' free agency moves |
Dustin Riese
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- 20 hours ago
When you talk about a team hitting the offseason ground running to fill in the needs of an organization, the 2025 Chicago Bears are coming to mind. It all started by trading a pair of day three draft picks to acquire guards Jonah Jackson (Rams) and Joe Thuney (Chiefs) to take care of the interior portion of their offensive line.
That was just the beginning of what was to come as the Bears kicked off the 2025 free agent period in style, well, at least the tampering period off in style by adding three more talented players who will all make an impact this season. Drew Dalman was the first of those three as the Bears again went offensive line and addressed the final interior piece of their line. Dalman was the most accomplished center in the entire free agent class, so getting him for three years at just 42 million dollars has to be considered a steal. As much excitement as the Dalman signing brought the fans, Chicago wasn't done as they turned around and added a pair of talented defensive players in Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett to beef up the trenches on the defensive line. Odeyingbo was a rumored target for the Bears a few years ago but wound up staying with the Colts for 2024. Now that he hit the open market, the Bears didn't hesitate to bring him in, as he would give Montez Sweat the pass-rushing help he needed. Jarrett found himself in a different situation. He was released by the Falcons Monday morning only to find a new home by mid-day with the Bears, as he, too, will be on a three-year deal. That puts the Bears in a win-now window, as many of these contracts are going to be up in three years, putting Chicago in a tough spot when they have to extend Caleb Williams. Ryan Poles will worry about that when the time comes, as he has positioned his team to be one of the more improved teams in 2025, where this season has a playoff or bust feel to it. Getting back to the Dalman signing for a bit, and this is the one signing that shouldn't shock you. Chicago has long been in the market for a center as Cody Whitehair was their last reliable option in 2018, and even he wasn't great. You have to go back to Olin Kreutz in the late 1990s as the last time the Bears had a pro-bowl-caliber center, which Dalman is. Grade: His addition will give the Bears the leader they need on the offensive line and complete the Bears interior portion of the line, as they now have arguably the best interior line in the NFL. If you had to grade this pickup by the Bears, you would have to give it an A, as Dalman was the top center on the market and fit the most significant need remaining on the offensive line. As surprising as the Odeyingbo pickup may seem, it shouldn't be a surprise, considering the Bears were in on him a few seasons ago. Chicago is a team that desperately needs to improve their pass rush, as Sweat can't do it alone. Odeyingbo should, at the very least, take some of the pressure off Sweat as he fits nicely into the Dennis Allen scheme and how he goes about getting Quarterback pressures. Grade: Even if he wasn't the top Edge/DE on the free agent market, you have to like this for the Bears, as they didn't have to break the bank to get him. Regarding a grade for this pickup, somewhere in the B to B- range seems perfect as he does fit a need, but is coming off a down season. The Jarrett signing came entirely out of left field, and this signing alone was all the proof you needed that the Bears mean business this offseason. Not only was he released earlier in the day by the Falcons, but he didn't even make it five hours to find a new home as the Bears picked him up and signed him to a lucrative three-year deal. At 31 years old, Jarrett is a bit older than most of the Bears pickups thus far, and his best football could be behind him. Still, with 36.5 career sacks, including six sacks as recently as 2022, Garrett has plenty of football left in the tank to impact the Bears defense. Grade: Like the offensive line, Chicago was very weak on the interior portion of its defensive line, and it needs to get tougher in that area to have long-term success. Jarrett certainly gives them that toughness, and because of that, you have to give the Bears a B for landing Garrett. Whatever comes next for Chicago remains to be seen, but it will be very hard to top the day they had on Monday. The 2025 NFL season can't get here soon enough as Poles and the boys mean business and are ready to get after it this season.
