Bears coach Johnson and GM Poles
are excited about moves to upgrade offensive and defensive lines
[March 13, 2025]
LAKE FOREST., Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and
general manager Ryan Poles sought to overhaul their team on both
sides of the line of scrimmage in free agency and the NFL draft.
They feel like they’ve accomplished it already in a matter of a
week, after they traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and
signed center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and
defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Johnson wants an offense as effective as the one he led as a
coordinator in Detroit, and he was excited about the way the new
guards will fit into his scheme.
“Yeah, we want some tough, some gritty, some dirty individuals and
we feel pretty good about the two guys we got,” Johnson said. “Smart
is a word that comes to mind, particularly with the interior
players. We need guys, we would love to have some versatility to our
scheme, some multiplicity if you will.
“We got a couple guys in the building now that we feel strongly can
handle a variety of different (blocking) concepts and schemes that
we might want to employ each and every week.”
Thuney played for four Super Bowl winners, two in Kansas City and
two in New England, while Jackson played for Detroit before spending
one year with the Los Angeles Rams. He was held back that season by
injury and an unplanned switch to center.
“So, just started off a little bit choppy, but when you go back and
see when he was in Detroit, shoot, I can go all the way back to
Rutgers when I watched him, the guy is made of the right stuff,”
Poles said of Jackson. “And he’s capable of really helping us up
front anchoring, but also getting push in the run game.”
Thuney is coming off three straight Pro Bowl berths with the Chiefs
and Jackson made one with the Lions.
“We really prioritized guys that are going to win one-on-one battles
... and we feel like both these guys are capable of that,” Johnson
said.
Jarrett will be 32 this season and is a year removed from rehabbing
a torn ACL.
“The first thing I’ll say about Grady is, this is a guy for a number
of years now that’s played at a fantastically high level,” Johnson
said.
Jarrett spent 10 years in Atlanta, earning second-team All-Pro
honors and two Pro Bowl selections. He regularly practiced against
Dalman.
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Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson talks to media during a
news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, March
12, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“I mean, working against him in Atlanta, he was so smart, and he had
some great guys working with him as well, but to see his growth as a
rookie to where he’s come now, I mean, the dude is a beast,” Jarrett
said of the 26-year-old center. “I’m happy that he’s gonna be here
and I think he’s gonna bring a lot to this team.”
The defensive moves were needed to help balance the pass rush and
free up Montez Sweat so that he can better pressure quarterbacks.
The offensive changes might help quarterback Caleb Williams avoid
being sacked a league-high 68 times again.
“I’d say, you know, for any quarterback, you’ve seen what happened
last year,” Jackson said. “He’s taken a lot of hits. You got to
build confidence in a young guy like that, in any quarterback,
honestly.”
While it’s possible there is still some work left in free agency,
the Bears can enter the draft knowing they have addressed areas of
need.
“This really opens the whole board for us,” Poles said. “We’re going
to be able to sit back and kind of look and say, ‘What’s the best
thing to do for the Chicago Bears and who’s the best player that can
impact?’
“We’ve got some tough decisions and a lot of film to watch between
now and the draft.”
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