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Bears' $42 million free-agent addition living up to the hype in 2025

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 1:27 PM ET

The Chicago Bears were one of the busiest teams during the 2025 NFL offseason. General manager Ryan Poles didn't hold back in the trade market or free agency in his effort to upgrade the roster, and several of his moves are already paying off.

As a refresher, Poles used the trade market to land two new starters along the offensive line, and manipulated free agency to add another offensive lineman and two starters along the defensive line.

One of Poles' biggest decisions came in free agency, when he signed center Drew Dalman to w three-year, $42 million contract with $28 million guaranteed.

So far, so good. Dalman was called a 'stud' in a recent breakdown of the NFL's best and worst free-agent signings of 2025.

"It was challenging to find a stud free-agent signing on the offensive line," Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano wrote. "Teams rarely let the good offensive lineman leave the building unless they have a cheaper, better and younger option waiting in the wings. Dalman has had his ups and downs, but his presence has allowed the Bears’ offensive line to improve from last year’s dismal season. Caleb Williams has only been sacked seven times this season."

The analytics agree with SI's take.

According to Pro Football Focus, Dalman is the third-highest graded player on the Bears' offense for players with at least 200 snaps. If you drop that number to players with at least 100 snaps, he's fourth.

Only Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze rank higher (200 snaps) than Dalman.

So, yeah, that's a job well done by Poles to fix a position that's plagued the Chicago Bears since the prime years of Cody Whitehair.

Barring injury, Dalman should be the Bears' center for a very long time. At just 26 years old, he's a strong candidate to land a second contract in Chicago that should last through the remainder of his prime.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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