Bears Winning Offseason Once Again, But This Year Feels Different

Winning games on the football field has been arduous for the Chicago Bears, but they’re winning the offseason for the third straight year. Two years ago, GM Ryan Poles traded the No. 1 pick in the draft for the proverbial Godfather haul, which netted Chicago D.J. Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, and Caleb Williams, among others. Poles will cash in the final piece of that trade with the No. 39 pick in this year’s draft. He also beefed up the team’s linebacking corps by signing T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds in free agency.

Poles drafted Williams and Rome Odunze last year after signing Keenan Allen, DeAndre Swift, and Kevin Byard III in free agency. Still, the fourth-year executive has whiffed badly in the trenches, an irony not lost on Bears fans because Poles once played guard at Boston College. After hiring Ben Johnson, the top available candidate in this year’s coaching carousel, Poles finally addressed both lines. With blessings from Kevin Warren and the McCaskey family, Poles is bound and determined to eliminate two-plus decades of stench at Halas Hall.

• Johnson was hired on January 21, three days after the Lions lost to the Commanders in a divisional playoff match.
• Johnson added Dennis Allen to run the defense and Declan Doyle to lead the offense. He also added Antwaan Randle El and Eric Bieniemy as assistants, the latter considered somewhat of a coup. Johnson and Poles then promised to help address Chicago’s weaknesses, mainly the interior offensive and defensive lines.
• On March 4, Poles sent a 6th-round pick in this year’s draft to the Rams for Guard Jonah Jackson.
• Chicago acquired Guard Joe Thuney from the Chiefs the following day for a 4th-round pick next year.
• Poles completed his IOL makeover by signing Center Drew Dalman in free agency.
• Chicago then addressed its defensive line by adding Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett.
• Poles can now fortify his roster by selecting the best players available at Nos. 10, 39, and 41 in next month’s draft.

"I feel like the Bears have unlimited f***ing money. This shit is crazy."

Once again, the Bears are making some big moves in free agency. pic.twitter.com/gv41Opg96S

— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) March 11, 2025

None of the moves are official, but that’s just a matter of NFL bookkeeping. It’s important to keep things in perspective, too. Poles wasted a year of development by saddling Williams with Matt Eberflus, Shane Waldron, and an offensive line paid collectively less than what Chicago owes Thuney this year. How bad was the line? Teven Jenkins is still a free agent after two full days of open market frenzy. He was the Bears’ best offensive lineman over the last two seasons.

Poles still has work to do, and extending Thuney should be at or near the top of his to-do list. With four of the top 75 picks next month, expect to hear a lot about OL Will Campbell (LSU), EDGE Landon Jackson (Arkansas), RB Kaleb Johnson (Iowa), and DT Deone Walker (Kentucky). Mock drafts are mere folly (apologies to Bears Insider EIC Jerry Burnes), but they’re fun, and those players have characteristics befitting Chicago’s offensive and defensive schemes.

Williams’ gap year is over. The second-year quarterback is armed with every available tool to succeed, including a head coach who orchestrated one of the league’s most prolific offenses. The Bears need to replace Allen and still need depth on both lines. Ashton Jeanty is a popular pick among Bears fans, but he probably won’t slide past the Raiders at No. 6 overall. Johnson preferred two alpha backs in Detroit, but don’t overread that. He’s going to tailor his offense to his quarterback’s strengths. Williams is a different quarterback than Jared Goff, so look for subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

Many Bears fans still pine for Jim Harbaugh and half the fan base thinks Williams is a bust. We can all agree, however, that championship football starts in the trenches. That’s why winning the offseason finally feels different, and in a very good way. And hey, the fascination with poaching Packers assistants and former players is finally over.

Note: Draft profiles courtesy of The Draft Network