Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has wasted no time getting ahead of the offensive line market, adding a pair of veteran interior linemen a week before the new NFL league year and free agency is set to begin.
One day removed from acquiring guard Jonah Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams, Poles pried Pro Bowl lineman Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Two trades, two significant holes along the Bears’ porous offensive line filled by two veteran, competent linemen, addressing two of Chicago’s most pressing offseason needs without needing to get into a bidding war for the remaining free agents once the market opens.
There’s a compelling argument to be made that Poles’ aggressiveness is a result of Kansas City using the franchise tag to prevent Trey Smith, projected to be the premier guard available in free agency, from reaching the open market.
Jackson and Thuney are immediate high-end plug-and-play starters and immediate upgrades along the offensive line. Jackson didn’t allow a sack last season, while finishing as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 ranked guard in the NFL, while Thuney tried his level-best to stop the Chiefs’ bleeding at offensive tackle, playing out of position for much of 2024 but still finishing without allowing a sack.
It is entirely possible that Poles checked the first major–and arguably most important item off his offseason to-do list with these trades.
How Chicago Bears trades impact 2025 NFL Draft plans
By aggressively swinging for the fences and adding Jackson and Thuney, it seems that Poles and the Bears are underwhelmed by the interior offensive line prospects in this year’s draft class.
So, too, perhaps Chicago is even more underwhelmed by the prospects of signing someone like Will Fries or Teven Jenkins to an inflated free-agent deal in an offseason where teams are flush with more cash than ever.
“This was the first time in 30 years,” a prominent agent told me Saturday on his way back from Indianapolis. “That not a single team pretended that they don’t have any money [to spend in free agency].”
By securing two dominant veteran guards, perhaps Poles is prepared to go all-in on veteran offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, and is not impressed enough by any of the tackle prospects in this year’s class to invest a top-10 pick in the position.
These trades also seem to telegraph that the Bears could be gearing up to go all-in on drafting explosive Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, to pair alongside quarterback Caleb Williams, giving new head coach and innovative play-caller Ben Johnson an elite weapon to create mismatches all over the field.
Regardless of what direction the Bears wind up taking in April, it seems less likely than ever that it will be an offensive lineman flying to Chicago after Round 1, given the pair of impactful trades Poles has executed to add top talent along what had been one of the NFL’s leakiest offensive lines.
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