Chicago Bears Make Pivotal First Move In O-Line Reconstruction

Everybody knew the Chicago Bears would come out swinging to rebuild their offensive line this off-season. It appears GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson weren't content to wait for free agency. The team officially swung a trade with the Los Angeles Rams for veteran guard Jonah Jackson. The 26-year-old made the Pro Bowl in 2021 while Johnson was passing game coordinator and went on to play two more seasons during his offensive coordinator run. The two know each other well. Unfortunately, Jackson struggled with health setbacks over the past couple of years, leading to the Rams' decision to ship him out.

People wonder what happened in L.A. It came down to a few key factors. Jackson was injured in week two of the season due to a lingering shoulder injury and landed on IR. During his absence, Beaux Limmer stepped into the starting lineup and played well. When Jackson returned, the Rams tried shifting him to right guard and center, but his discomfort was obvious. He'd played his entire career at left guard. Eventually, he was benched for the stretch run of the season, though to his credit, he never raised a stink.

The Chicago Bears did what was necessary.

Jackson is not what you'd call an ideal solution. Though still young and likely to play his natural left guard spot, his health issues make it uncertain what the Chicago Bears will get. They're trusting Coach Johnson's familiarity with him. More than anything, this move was to circumvent the need to rely solely on free agency for veteran help. Now, Poles can focus their efforts on a singular name they covet without having to spread their resources out. Drew Dalman feels like the obvious name to watch, considering he's the best center available. If the Bears land him, they could go into the draft only having to fill the right guard spot unless they're dead set on finding a new left tackle.

Either way, the mixture of familiarity and past success makes this a worthwhile gamble for the Bears. In the worst case, they can release him next year with $17 million in space.