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Unexpected unit emerges as Chicago Bears' top strength for 2025

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 10:34 AM ET

Chicago Bears fans know all too well how painful it's been to watch this offense execute in recent years. Sure, the quarterback situation has been a problem since the franchise's inception, but even when the Bears have had a quality starter with a first-round pedigree, the offensive line always seemed to fail.

It was about as bad as it's ever been in 2024 when Chicago's O-line surrendered the most sacks in the NFL: 68.

Indeed, QB Caleb Williams deserves some of the blame for that embarrassing sack total, but the Bears' annual neglect along the interior positions reached its climax in a season that had as much hype surrounding a Chicago Bears quarterback as there's ever been.

Now, as 2025 approaches, things are different. Like, really different.

General manager Ryan Poles went all-in during the offseason to fix the Bears' offensive line once and for all, and by almost every industry analyst's account, he has.

That includes ESPN, which recently ranked every NFL team's roster. Categories like biggest strength, weakness, X-factor, and more were included. And for the Bears' biggest strength entering 2025? Yep, you guessed it: the offensive line.

"I could've gone a few directions here (WR? TE? DB?), but Chicago's O-line has a shot to be one of the league's best," ESPN's Mike Clay wrote. "That might seem silly considering the Bears allowed a league-high 68 sacks last season, but they ranked 15th in pass block win rate (60.4%) and eighth in run block win rate (72.5%) and are now substantially better on paper. All three interior positions were upgraded (left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman and right guard Jonah Jackson) next to standout tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright."

The Chicago Bears' offensive line is one of the best in the NFC

The Bears' projected starting five offensive line goes like this: Braxton Jones (LT), Joe Thuney (LG), Drew Dalman (C), Jonah Jackson (RG), and Darnell Wright (RT).

Thuney, Dalman, and Jackson are the three new starters this year, and there's a good chance that rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo will unseat Jones at left tackle, assuming Jones' health prevents him from making a full recovery from a fractured ankle in time for regular season play.

That makes four new starters for an offensive line that required a complete offseason overhaul. It's safe to say that that's exactly what Poles did. And the biggest beneficiary will be Caleb Williams and the exciting cast of Chicago Bears skill players.

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

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