I was concerned about the Chicago Bears’ offensive line after Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman retired, but after thinking about how Ben Johnson schemed around their left tackle problems, and how Dan Rouschar coached this group up in 2025, I’m not worried.
The Bears quickly addressed center in free agency, and they did it again in the NFL Draft.
They brought back their best in-house option at left tackle, and then signed a former first-rounder looking to rehabilitate his career. This offseason, Chicago’s
tackle group was putting in work with former Pro Bowler Terron Armstead to be ready for camp.
I don’t think the drop-off from 2025 to this year will be significant. In fact, I think there’s an argument to be made that the 2026 version of the starting five could eventually be better overall than last year’s group.
Roster Locks
The Bears’ best offensive lineman is also one of the best in the NFL. Left guard Joe Thuney is coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl nod, third consecutive first-team All-Pro selection, and he was the winner of the inaugural Protector of the Year Award. He’s everything the Bears hoped he’d be, both on and off the field, and they got him for a fourth-round pick.
Right guard Jonah Jackson proved the Bears were wise for sending a sixth-round pick last year to acquire him. He bounced back from a rough year in L.A. and looked like the same Pro Bowl talent he was with Ben Johnson in Detroit.
Right tackle Darnell Wright was a second-team All-Pro in 2025, and if his contract extension plays out as expected, he’ll be the highest-paid offensive lineman in franchise history. A recent article by NFL.com’s Kevin Patra saw him pick one non-QB MVP candidate for each team, and Wright was his pick for the Bears.
The Bears finally employed a sexy offense last season, which overshadowed Wright’s ascension toward the top of the right tackle rankings. The 325-pounder has improved in each of his three seasons as both a road grader and pass protector. He shined in Year 1 under Ben Johnson, generating a career-best 3.8 percent pressure rate allowed last year, per Pro Football Focus (a shade below first-team All-Pro Penei Sewell’s 3.3 percent figure). Wright has the tools to continue climbing the charts as one of the best blockers in the NFL. At the very least, the man should earn a Pro Bowl nod after being snubbed last season.
The Bears are going to have a center competition in camp between veteran Garrett Bradbury and rookie Logan Jones. Bradbury’s experience seeing NFL fronts could give him the early edge, but the upside from Jones could force the Bears’ hand at some point.
Left tackle was a problem last year as they had to navigate around injuries and inexperienced players. Braxton Jones started, but was playing hurt. Theo Benedet was a good run blocker, but his pass blocking needed work. Ozzy Trapilo was the best of the bunch, and while his pass blocking was better than Benedet’s, he wasn’t as good in the running game. Ozzy showed promise, but he’ll be starting on the PUP list and may not play this season due to the knee injury.
Braxton was re-signed for a year to man the left tackle spot, and if healthy — and all indications are that he’s 100% right now — he’ll be an upgrade over what they had at the position last season.
As a 2025 rookie, Luke Newman worked himself into being the first guard off the bench before a foot injury landed him on injured reserve. He appeared in nine games.
A Good Bet To Make It
The Bears opened the 2025 season with 10 offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, and they finished the year with 8 on the 53.
I have Braxton Jones, Thuney, Bradburry, Logan Jones, Jackson, Wright, Benedet, and Newman as eight locks, with Trapilo moving to the reserve/PUP list.
Jordan McFadden looked good in his playoff start, and I think he’ll be back to continue his development as a ninth o-lineman.
Roster Bubble/Practice Squad
Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr. could be battling for one reserve spot, and the player who shows an ability to back up more than just left tackle could have the edge. However, the 27-year-old Wills had 57 starts at left tackle for the Browns from 2020 to 2024, and he has that first-round-pick pedigree. He initially hurt his knee in 2o23 and never felt right in 2o24, so he took 2025 to let his knee heal. If he gets his body right and can get his confidence back to compete at a high level, he could be a one-year steal.
Kyle Hergel (iOL) returns after spending some time on the Bears’ practice squad last season.
The Bears have three UDFAs in camp: Mason Murphy, Jaren Kump, and Caden Barnett. Murphy played mostly right tackle in college (31 starts between USC and Auburn), but he was moved to center last year for three starts. Kump started games at all five positions along the o-line during his six years at Utah (41 starts over 59 games). Barnett (The Vanilla Gorilla) is already a fan favorite and was named second-team All-Mountain West Conference at right guard in 2025.
How many offensive linemen do you see the Bears opening the 2026 season with?
