The Chicago Bears finished the 2025 NFL season 11-6, won the NFC North, and were the second seed in the NFC. It was one of the most successful turnarounds in the league this year. In 2024, before hiring Ben Johnson as their head coach, Chicago was 5-12 and finished in last place in their division.
Of course, there were multiple reasons for the turnaround, and Johnson played a major role in shifting the culture on the Bears from one of perpetual losing to one of grit, determination, and winning.
But the addition of new players on the roster also helped the team improve from 2024 to 2025.
PFF identifies the best and worst Chicago Bears free agent signings in 2025
In 2024, Chicago had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. But 2025 saw them have one of the league’s best, and the addition of Drew Dalman as their center played a major role in that turnaround. In fact, PFF has decided that he was the team’s best free agent signing of the year:
“The Bears’ offensive line was one of the top in the NFL, and it started in the middle with Dalman’s excellence. The former Falcon ranked seventh among qualified centers with a 72.7 overall PFF grade, and his 0.31 Wins Above Replacement were the third-most.”
But while the offensive line was stout, the defensive line, as a unit, was a bit disappointing, especially since the Bears spent valuable free agent dollars on pass rusher Grady Jarrett:
“On the flip side, Chicago’s defensive line underperformed this season — and the addition of Jarrett didn’t pan out. Dalman’s teammate in Atlanta was signed to a three-year, $43.5 million deal but produced a 56.9 overall PFF grade, including a 41.9 PFF run-defense mark.”
Winning in the trenches is the most important quality of Super Bowl contending teams. If the Bears want to take another big step in 2026, they are going to need their offensive line, led by Dalman, to continue their dominance. However, they are going to need more out of Jarrett or add better pieces than him.
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