The identity of every pro football team isn’t their flashy quarterback, their speedy wideout or their bulldozing running back. It’s their big 300-pounders on either side of the line and their ability to wear the other team down. You can sometimes get away with having a bad pass rush or run defense because defenses have the safety net of defensive backs behind them, but on the offensive side? Once a blitzer gets past you, there is little to nothing your quarterback can do to escape. A defensive lineman could get one sack every other game and be considered an above average player who gets paid 20 plus million dollars. However, as an offensive lineman, if you are giving up a sack every other game, you are considered one of the worst at your position and will probably be out of a job very soon.
Nothing less than perfection is demanded from pro offensive lines, but this is for a very good reason. You could have a below average quarterback, and if you stick him behind one of the best offensive lines in the league, he could look like a star (such as Jalen Hurts or Brock Purdy). But on the other side of the spectrum, even elite QBs can’t thrive under poor offensive line play (such as Joe Burrow). The offensive line play can make or break a season and cause serious wear-and-tear on your quarterback over the course of a season. That was the story of the 2024 Chicago Bears.
The Bears drafted Heisman-winning USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Williams’ talent was undeniable, and he brought hope to Chicago. That feeling was reinforced after a 4-2 start to the 2024 season, but when things all came crashing down, the offensive line was the root of all problems. Even when the Bears were playing well the first 6 games, it wasn’t because their offensive line was stout. The Bears ended that season 5-12 and fired their offensive coordinator and head coach midseason, something the franchise had never done in their 100 year history.
Williams was sacked 68 times in 2024, the most of any QB by far, the next being CJ Stroud who was sacked 52 times. Getting sacked 68 was the 3rd most all-time in a single season, and the 2nd most for a rookie in a single season. The only other quarterback to be sacked more than Williams in their rookie year was Houston’s David Carr, who had a very short-lived and abysmal career. Sticking a young QB behind an offensive line in shambles is never a recipe for success. So the main focus of the Bears offseason was to retool their offensive line, something the franchise has notoriously failed with in the past.
The turn-around started with bringing in new head coach Ben Johnson, and with him a completely new coaching staff. Johnson lured the notorious Dan Roushar out of retirement to join his staff. Roushar is one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the history of the game, bringing with him over 40 years of coaching experience. Then came the moves on the actual line itself. The Bears swung a big trade for perennial Pro-Bowl guard Joe Thuney, snagging him for just a 4th round pick. Then, just days later, they acquired guard Jonah Jackson, who was a Pro-Bowler under Johnson’s offense in Detroit in 2023 but struggled in LA with the Rams the next year.
Thuney and Jackson were brought in for day two and three draft picks. These trades didn’t send shock waves through the NFL world at the time, but they would end up being some of the best moves general manager Ryan Poles has ever made in his tenure. There was still much work to be done, however, and Poles knew that. Right as the free agency window opened in April, the Bears pounced on one of the top regarded linemen, center Drew Dalman. The Bears showed they were serious by giving him $42 million over 3 years. The line was starting to take shape. Right tackle Darnell Wright was drafted in 2023, and his strong play almost guaranteed him a starting spot on the 2025 offensive line.
That only left one spot in the air, which was left tackle. The Bears had more options then they knew what to do with. Braxton Jones was coming off an injury-riddled season, but he played average in his time at the position. Then the Bears had two rookies, Illinois native Kiran Amegadjie and the “Canadian eagle,” Theo Benedet. Kiran looked overwhelmed in his limited 2024 playing time, and Benedet missed his entire rookie season with injury. But with all three guys getting an entire offseason to reset and get healthy under new and improved coaching, it was believed the position was up for grabs if major leaps were taken in practice and the preseason. The Bears also held the 10th pick in the draft, a possible spot to bring in their most desired prospect and mold him under their system.
But after day one of the draft, the 10th overall selection was not used on the offensive line. However, with the lower of their two 2nd round picks, the Bears selected tackle Ozzy Trapilo from Boston College. Standing at 6 ‘8’ and north of 300 pounds, Chicago had an absolute unit on their hands. And with that draft pick, the overhaul was complete. Only one starter from last year’s line was guaranteed a starting position. The left tackle competition was monitored throughout camp by many league insiders, and it led to a split decision.
After a hard-fought camp and preseason, the left tackle position was set for the time being, with Braxton Jones being named the starter. So there were your starters for week 1: Jones, Thuney, Dalman, Jackson and Wright. Only time would tell how this group would perform, and after the first two weeks it was looking bleak. Williams started where he left off the previous season, getting sacked 6 times in the team’s first two games, both ending in losses. Most of the sacks came from the left tackle position. So Johnson made the change. Benedet, a former undrafted rookie who missed all of the previous season with an injury, was named the starter in week 4 against the Raiders. Trapilo filled in for a couple snaps here and there. And that was the way it was until week 12, when Trapilo was named the full-time starter. Into week 12, the line performed very well.
Williams was staying off the ground, and the Bears rushing attack that was completely missing earlier in the season came alive and really carried the load for the offense. Then when Trapilo took over full-time in week 12, things on offense only got better. The Bears finished with the 3rd best rushing offense in the NFL with 144 yards per game, greatly improved from the 2024 season’s 102. Running back D’Andre Swift had a career year, largely due to the help from the guys up front, showing Bears fans he was worth the money he was given the offseason prior. But most importantly, Williams stayed upright all season. Yes, Williams was one of the best QBs at avoiding sacks with his Houdini-like spin moves, but a lot of credit is due to the offensive line. Williams was sacked just 25 times, cutting the 2024 total by more than half. The only other QB that played an entire season and was sacked less was Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos, who was sacked 22 times.
As far as accolades , Dalman and Thuney earned Pro-Bowl honors, while Thuney was also named a first-team All-Pro, and Wright was second-team All-Pro. But most impressively, Thuney took home the inaugural NFL Protector of the Year award, given to the best offensive lineman in the league. Thuney registered over 1,100 snaps on the season and didn’t allow a single sack, while only being responsible for two penalties against him. That 4th round pick the Bears shipped off to Kansas City is looking well worth its value.
Although 2025 was a year the Bears won a playoff game for the first time since 2010 and they had their best offensive line play since 2018, that’s all in the past now. As Johnson said, there is nothing to build off of. Everyone starts the next season at 0-0. No one is any better than anyone else. Back to the basics. And that is especially true about the left tackle position once more, as it looks like there is going to be another long camp and pre-season of guys fighting to start. After looking like a part of the future for the Bears in 2025, Trapilo suffered a patellar tendon tear in the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Only 50% of all NFL players with that injury come back and play, which surely leaves Trapilo’s 2026 season, and career, in jeopardy. But the Bears have the cap space and draft capital to hopefully address that need.
If it needed to be more highlighted how important protecting your QB’s blind side is, the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl performance put the league on notice on how important that left tackle position is. The Seattle Seahawks tied a Super Bowl record with 6 sacks on QB Drake Maye. While only one of those sacks was credited to left tackle Will Campell, the film would suggest he was more responsible, along with the 14 official pressures recorded against him. Campbell constantly getting bull rushed all night gave Maye absolutely no time in the pocket and led to very poor play for the majority of the game and a Super Bowl loss. If Campell and the offensive line gave the talented Maye any time at all in the pocket, the outcome could have been completely different.
You can question Poles on his shaky trades at the deadline, like not getting a first round pick for star linebacker Roquan Smith or gifting a second rounder to the Steelers for an underwhelming wide receiver in Chase Claypool. You can question Poles on his horrific hires of Matt Eberflus, Luke Getsy and Shane Waldron. And you can question if the extension he received from the franchise was premature or not. But you can’t deny that Poles did an A+ job at making the offensive line a priority of last offseason, and it showed Williams and Johnson that he is committed to them and will make whatever moves are needed up front for the two of them to succeed. Poles can cement himself as one of the top general managers in the entire NFL this offseason if he is able to solidify the left tackle position, rebuild the defense and make any other necessary moves to bring the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl in the very near future.
