The center position has been a revolving door of mediocrity for the Chicago Bears for years. There were flashes of middling and some occasional decent or passable play, but it was mostly below average. For the few years prior to the 2025 offseason, they tried to put a band-aid on the position through free agency, but none of their acquisitions panned out.
But this offseason, in year one of the Ben Johnson era and year two of Caleb Williams, general manager Ryan Poles decided to make a significant investment. He signed Drew Dalman, the top center on the market, to a 3-year, $42M deal, which came in far below most expectations. Then it came out that Dalman had more options, but he wanted to play in Chicago, and he took less to do so.
After a slow start, Dalman — and his fellow linemates —

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