Rebuilding the offensive line is a top priority for the Chicago Bears under new head coach Ben Johnson. So while I find it to be good news that Bears General Manager Ryan Poles can lean on an offensive-minded head coach who understands the value of having strength in the trenches, there is a part of me that is worried about one particular position that has given Chicago fits in recent years as it has tried to piece together blockers at the line of scrimmage.
The center position has been a bugaboo for the Bears in recent years. And while it’s not as if Chicago’s football team hasn’t had a quality center since Olin Kreutz left town, there are moments that makes it feel like that is the case.
After all, Cody Whitehair had a nice run in the middle. But we witnessed his decline in his final years in Chicago, which ultimately led to his release last offseason. James Daniels never really got a shot to take the position and run with it, which is disappointing. But he might have been better off at guard anyway. At least, that is my takeaway from watching him from afar while with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So I am not losing sleep over that one. Don’t even get me started on the Sam Mustipher experience.
The Bears’ need to fill the starting spots of two starting guards and a center is one of football’s worst-kept secrets. And yet, I cannot stop thinking about what the team’s options are at center. It feels as if finding upgrades at both guard spots is feasible. But a center? Things seem to be tricky when it comes to that position. And if what Brad Biggs (Tribune) hears about the offseason options at the position is true, then unearthing a capable center for the 2025 season isn’t going to come easily for this team.
Biggs surmises that it is a bad draft for centers. I imagine the position group, as a whole, took a hit when Alabama’s Parker Brailsford announced he was returning to Alabama for another year and forgoing an opportunity to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. But even if Brailsford was in the draft pool, the options behind him at the position appear to be uninspiring.
USC’s Jonah Monheim is a converted left tackle and was believed to be one of the Senior Bow’s best center prospects. Georgia’s Jared Wilson might be someone the team targets, too. I won’t rule out another converted lineman making the move and sliding into the center spot. But I understand that it sounds risky to ask a rookie to learn a new position at the pro level, especially in the trenches.
How should the Bears go about finding a new center?
Before we hit the panic button, just know that this isn’t a complete nightmare scenario. For what it’s worth, Biggs offers up some free-agent options that could make sense for the Bears to pursue in free agency. Centers Ryan Kelly (Indianapolis Colts) and Josh Myers (Green Bay Packers) get name-checked by Biggs as possible free-agent options. But the best of the bunch could be Drew Dalman, who has played 57 games (40 starts) in four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Biggs says the Falcons would like to re-sign Dalman, but that might be a tight squeeze with Atlanta currently sitting at $11.987 million over the 2025 NFL salary cap (h/t OTC).
Biggs spoke to a pro personnel scout, who had this to say about Dalman:
“Clear and away the best center. He’s young. He’s an undersized player and his best fit is in a zone run game where he can climb and move. Really good athlete. Positional blocker. Not a dominating blocker. Incredibly smart.
“I like him best in a zone run scheme because he is going to be able to reach and climb and play in space. He’s entering his prime years and doesn’t have an injury history. He had an ankle for a couple games last year but otherwise has a pretty clean history. That’s the guy to get.”
Admittedly, I haven’t taken a deep dive into Ben Johnson’s offense to see if there is a schematic fit for Drew Dalman and the Chicago Bears. However, I don’t think a long-tenured reporter like Brad Biggs would have mentioned Dalman if he didn’t connect the dots. Biggs also points out that Dalman’s agent and the Bears have done business before. To me, this looks like something worth keeping an eye on as we approach free agency.
Unfortunately, we are set to embark on the 2025 NFL offseason with the center position still being one the Chicago Bears need to fill. Finding a suitable center has been on the to-do list since Ryan Poles’ arrival as general manager. Lucas Patrick was supposed to be the stop-gap option, but he was too often injured to fulfill those duties. Coleman Shelton was OK while playing on a one-year “prove it” deal in 2024. However, you won’t hear me banging the drum for Shelton’s return to Chicago.
In the end, the bad news is that this does not seem to be the best draft to be needing a center. And the idea of spending on one in free agency isn’t going to be appetizing to everyone. But as someone who has a knack for finding silver linings, I’ll leave with one final thought. The Bears have options. They aren’t the best options. But they can grow into solid pieces in the middle of Chicago’s offensive line.
Chicago’s scouts (both college *AND* pro) and offensive line coaches will have their work cut out for them as they go about finding help at the center position. However, if they can make something happen, then it could go a long way toward accelerating the process of upgrading what was a disappointing offensive line.
