Chicago Bears’ Free Agent Signings: Grades and Takeaways
On opening day of the NFL's silly season, the Bears went trenches. Then they went trenches again. Then they went trenches again.
SINCE DECEMBER OF 2024, I’ve written, said, or heard the word “trenches” more than I previously had in my entire life. Like, way more.
But that’s what happens when your fave football team can’t rush the quarterback or pass block.
You know, kind of like the '24 Chicago Bears. Which is why the ‘25 Bears need to get over-trenched
Y’see, the Detroit Lions’ heavy trench presence played a huge role in first-year Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s successful run as Detroit’s offensive coordinator. You don’t post a 15-2 regular season record unless you protect your quarterback while abusing opposing signal callers.
Based on yesterday’s flurry of free agent signings in Chicago — if you can call three signings a flurry — we can surmise that Johnson convinced GM Ryan Poles to rebuild his team from the trenches out. Thus, we welcome center Drew Dalman, EGDE Dayo Odeyingbo, and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to Halas Hall.
Can’t argue with the approach. Not one bit.
But maybe you can argue with the choices. Did Poles overspend on the center position? Were there any options who made more sense than Odeyingbo? Should the team have put so much faith in a semi-grizzled veteran like Jarrett?
These questions and more shall be answered in about nine months, give or take. All we can do now is ponder, speculate, and grade.
DREW DALMAN
Position: Center
Deal Terms: Three years, $42 million, $28 million guaranteed
The Skinny: Welp, the center of an offensive line is as trenchy as it gets, so Poles all but had to to lock down Dalman minutes after legal tampering kicked off. That said, the former Falcon was the best option from a meh batch of free agent middlemen, so the deal was fait accompli.
We know Dalman has game, but is said game worth $14 million a year? With ex-Colt Ryan Kelly inking a two-year, $18 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings, one could say, “Not so much.”
Kelly’s a four-time Pro Bowler, but at 31 he’s not necessarily a guy around whom you can build an O-line that’ll become and remain a well-oiled unit for the next four-plus seasons.
At 26, Dalman makes great longterm sense, so we won’t kvetch about the overpay. For now.
Grade: A-
DAYO ODEYINGBO
Position: EDGE
Deal Terms: Three years, $48 million, $32 million guaranteed
The Skinny: In a vacuum, landing an athletic, potential-laden 25-year-old for $16 mil a year isn’t a bad thing…that is, until you learn that the Arizona Cardinals inked Josh Sweat — a Super Bowl champion and former Pro Bowler who’s a mere two years older than Odeyingbo — for just $3 million more per season.
Sweat is a finish product, thus the Cards know what they’re getting. The Bears, however, are betting on potential.
To his credit, Odeyingbo has plenty of that.
The Vandy product has quick feet, he knows how to use his hands, and he boasts a devastating spin move. But he managed just three sacks and 31 tackles in Indianapolis last season, as opposed to the eight sacks and 38 tackles he racked up in 2023.
You can point to a change in the Colts’ defensive scheme for the drop-off, but you can also point to, well, a drop-off.
Poles and new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen seem to think Odeyingbo is a better scheme fit than Sweat would have been. If they see something we’re all missing, big win. But if it turns out that Sweat should’ve been The Guy — big whiff.
Grade: B-
GRADY JARRETT
Position: DT
Deal Terms: Three years, $43.5 million, $28.5 million fully guaranteed
The Skinny: Three years ago — when Jarrett was 28 — this signing would’ve merited a parade down Michigan Avenue. Now that Jarrett is 31, it’ll merit some high-fives at that grungy Bears bar on Lincoln that I always forget the name of, but it’s on the west side of the street, across from that Vietnamese restaurant I used to kind of like.
All that said, the two quick-hitter pros outweigh the four quick-hitter cons:
CONS
Torn ACL in 2023
Diminishing production
Advancing age
Long-ish term contract
PROS
Pro Bowl pedigree
Locker room leader
With a D-line room that heads into training camp sporting an average age of 26.1, the Bears could sure use a locker room leader with a Pro Bowl pedigree. Now they have one, so bully for them.