Allowing 68 sacks in a season is a number few teams ever reach. Watching Caleb Williams endure that must've made Ryan Poles sick. The Chicago Bears GM, a former offensive lineman himself, had tried piecing together a capable unit with the resources available. Unfortunately, some injury setbacks (Teven Jenkins), bad personnel decisions (Nate Davis), and subpar coaching led to the disaster. That is why Poles made it his mission in the 2025 offseason to fix the problem once and for all.
After careful evaluation, it didn't take long to realize free agency alone wouldn't help. The Bears had to get creative if they wanted immediate solutions. So they swung two trades, bringing in Jonah Jackson from Los Angeles and Joe Thuney from Kansas City. Both have proven backgrounds as former Pro Bowlers. Then things came together with the arrival of Drew Dalman, widely considered the best center in free agency. If you're wondering if Poles got it right, multiple execs stated on ESPN that two of those acquisitions are among the best interior offensive linemen in the league.
That is never a bad sign.
6. Joe Thuney, Chicago Bears
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 32 | Last year's ranking: 4One of most impressive football feats of the 2024 NFL season was Thuney, at 6-foot-5 and 304 pounds, successfully transitioning from guard to left tackle late in the season. The Chiefs were in a bind, and the offensive line needed help, and Thuney stabilized it. Chiefs coach Andy Reid lauded the move, saying Thuney never complained -- and he held his own incredibly well...
...Also receiving votes: Steve Avila (Los Angeles Rams), Ryan Kelly (Minnesota Vikings), Kevin Dotson (Los Angeles Rams), Kevin Zeitler (Tennessee Titans), Cody Mauch (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Alijah Vera-Tucker (New York Jets), John Simpson (New York Jets), Dominick Puni (San Francisco 49ers), Zach Frazier (Pittsburgh Steelers), Sam Cosmi (Washington Commanders), Drew Dalman (Chicago Bears)
The Chicago Bears deserve credit for not getting sidetracked.
Too many times throughout recent team history, the GM has gotten too enamored with specific players at positions of lesser need. Drafting Cedric Benson in 2005 was a perfect example. The Chicago Bears already had a good running back in Thomas Jones. Meanwhile, they could've added help in the secondary with Antrel Rolle or another pass rusher like DeMarcus Ware. Former GM Jerry Angelo admitted he didn't do a good enough job preparing for that draft. Poles deserves credit for staying on task. He knew the offense had to be the focal point this offseason, especially up front. It appears he did the job with top marks.
