Bears linked to two key free agent linemen

Mark Rebilas - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 1 day ago

It's no secret that the Chicago Bears will be one of the teams to watch this offseason for various reasons. Not only do they have a new coaching staff in place eager to make a great first impression, but they also have a top-10 pick and plenty of cap space to improve their roster. All that put together gives Chicago an opportunity to steal the show this offseason if Ryan Poles can play his cards right.

Regardless of what the Bears choose to do to improve their roster, if those improvements don't involve the offensive line, then the entire organization would be considered a colossal failure. The good news is that the Bears have plenty of options to take with their first-round selection and plenty of free-agent options to address the offensive line.

Expect the Bears to kick the tires on most of those free-agent options, and initial ESPN reports surrounding the NFL have the Bears linked to two free-agent offensive linemen and are listed as the best fit for those players. That has to be encouraging for most fans, but unless a deal is made for any of these players, it's all talk at this point.

As we get closer to the start of free agency, we will dive a lot more in-depth into most of these free agent and draft targets. For now, this is a quick summary of who the Bears are deemed the best fit for and why it makes sense for the team.

Anytime your rookie quarterback gets sacked 68 times in a season, there is a lot of blame to go around. Sure, some blame falls on Caleb Williams for holding on to the ball too long, but the coaching staff did him no favors with some of their play calls. You also have to shoulder the blame on the offensive line, as they were non-existent most of the season.

That includes the tackle position, as Williams was hammered on his blindside throughout the year. That is where Trey Smith comes into play. The former Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard is listed as the second-best free agent on the market and is one of the two deemed to fit the best in Chicago.

The Bears have been linked to Smith since the end of the regular season, and you can be assured that they will make a massive push to land the all-pro guard. Although he didn't have his best game in the Superbowl, Smith was still a Pro Bowl guard this season and will command a massive market should the Chiefs not figure out a way to keep him.

Chicago will be one of the teams looking to grab him, and they could invest most of their efforts in landing him. Not only is Smith seen as the top interior lineman on the market, but with a 75.1% run-blocking grade, he has always been a menace in run-block scenarios. Plus, he has the foot speed to mirror interior defenders and the strength at 6-6 and 321 pounds to anchor against bull rushes as Smith is the perfect player for the Bears line.

As important as the guard and tackle positions are for this team, the center position needs to be addressed the most, as the Bears haven't had a quality center in years. That is where Drew Dalman comes into play. The former Atlanta Falcon checks in at No. 26 among incoming free agents and is listed as the best fit for the Bears.

"I matched Trey Smith to the Bears, but this team can’t stop there this spring," ESPN's Matt Bowen wrote. "Let’s also put Dalman — the top center in free agency — next to Smith. Dalman wins his assignments with movement and leverage to offset a smaller frame (6-3, 300 pounds). He’s a technician on the tape, best suited for the zone run game, and his pass block win rate of 95.1% ranked ninth among centers with at least 500 snaps (he missed time due to an ankle injury, though)."

Not nearly at the same level as Smith in terms of success, Dalman is still one of the better centers in the game and is a dark horse name to watch as free agency kicks off. He is easily the best center in this year's free agent market, and despite a smaller 6-3 300-pound frame, he does a phenomenal job of holding down the line of scrimmage.

Best suited for a zone run scheme, Dalman is a master of technique and ranked in the top 10 for pass-blocking success, winning on 95.1% of pass-blocking plays. That was over 506 pass-blocking attempts, as Dalman knows what it takes to be successful.

These are just two of the many names to watch this offseason, as the Bears will get extremely busy soon.