The Chicago Bears appear to have the building blocks of a successful franchise going forward on the field. With talent littered throughout the 53-man roster, the franchise is ready to continue improving going into the 2026 offseason. However, it is important to take a look back at what went right with the Bears last year, and there are certainly things pointing in the right direction.
Let’s take a deeper dive into how one underrated player ended up as one of the best in the league at his position.
PFF ranks Drew Dalman as the eighth-best center for the 2025 season
Pro Football Focus wrote an article ranking the top 10 centers from the previous season. Chicago saw Drew Dalman finish eighth in the NFL with a 72.8 PFF grade. Below is the section they wrote about Dalman’s performance throughout the 2025 season:
“Dalman spent his first four seasons in Atlanta before signing a three-year deal with the Bears in 2025. Not only did he play every offensive snap for the team this season, but he was also named to his first Pro Bowl. Dalman is another center on this list who has struggled in pass protection, although he earned a career-best 67.3 PFF pass-blocking grade this season. He allowed the third-most pressures at the position (31), at a rate of 4.2% (third highest on this list).
“Dalman shines as a run blocker, where he generated the sixth-lowest defeated rate in 2025 (11.8%). He’s best in zone schemes, where he earned an eighth-ranked 79.2 PFF run-blocking grade. Since 2023, Dalman ranks sixth in PFF run-blocking grade (88.2).”
The improvement on the offensive line was a massive reason for the improvement the team showcased over the previous season. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Chicago last offseason, so it will be intriguing to see if he can maintain an outstanding level in the middle of the offensive line.
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