The Chicago Bears are already hunting for upgrades to the offensive line, and the top name on their list is about to play in his third straight Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen dubbed Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith the second-best free agent heading into the offseason on Wednesday, January 29, while his colleague Jeremy Fowler connected first-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl participant to the Bears.
“Some inside the league are watching Chicago here,” Fowler wrote. “General manager Ryan Poles, who needs to drastically improve his interior offensive line for new coach Ben Johnson, was in Kansas City when the Chiefs drafted Smith. Several teams have him as the top overall free agent.”
Bears, Teven Jenkins Unlikely to Stay Together Next Season
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and starting right guard Trey Smith (right).
Smith makes sense for Chicago even if the Bears keep guard Teven Jenkins, though the ti leaves are pointing toward the two sides parting ways.
Jenkins was a borderline elite offensive lineman last season when healthy, though health has proven an issue for him across his four-year rookie contract, which ended following the 2024 campaign.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus (PFF) on January 22 ranked Jenkins as the 25th-best free agent of this class and named the San Francisco 49ers as his top landing spot.
“A series of nagging injuries plagued Jenkins’ 2024 campaign, but even still, he managed to produce well on the interior of this Bears’ offensive line. His 75.8 PFF pass-blocking grade stands as a career high for the 26-year-old guard after he allowed just a 3.8% pressure rate (also a career high),” Cameron wrote. “The Niners nailed their selection of Dominick Puni in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft but still need to build up their interior. Adding Jenkins to the left side would complement both Puni at the other guard spot and Trent Williams on the outside.”
Bears Predicted to Draft Offensive Guard Who Could Play Alongside Trey Smith in 2025
GettyKansas City Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith.
As good as Jenkins has been, Smith has been that much better and earned the first Pro-Bowl nod of his career in 2024. Smith is also one year younger than Jenkins, though they both entered the NFL in 2021. Jenkins was a second-round pick, while Smith went to the Chiefs in the sixth round.
Smith has also been far healthier than Jenkins since entering the league, playing in and starting 67 of 68 possible regular season games over the past four years. Jenkins, meanwhile, has played in just 45 contests over the same span and started in 38 of them.
PFF projects Jenkins will land in the neighborhood of $40 million over a new three-year deal, while Smith could get upwards of $80 million across a four-year contract — potentially after winning his third championship ring in three years.
Even if the Bears cough up that kind of cash for Smith, the team is likely to do more to improve the interior of the offensive line. The Bears have three picks in the top 41 selections of April’s draft, and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network predicts Chicago will use the No. 10 pick to select offensive guard Tyler Booker of Alabama.
“I think Booker is one of the safest picks in the draft,” Jeremiah wrote on January 25. “He will help firm up the interior offensive line for Caleb Williams.”
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