After swinging a big-time trade for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, the Chicago Bears are signing one of their own offensive linemen to a new contract for next year.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears are tendering backup guard Bill Murray as an exclusive rights free agent for the 2025 season, keeping some continuity in their offensive line and retaining a backup guard who showed promise last season.
Murray — who spent the 2023 season on the Bears’ practice squad — parlayed a strong training camp into a spot on the team’s 53-man heading into last season. He went on to play in three games, including in Week 5 against Carolina when he replaced the injured Teven Jenkins and did not allow a single pressure on 37 total snaps at left guard.
Unfortunately for Murray, he suffered a pectoral injury during the Bears’ loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8 and missed the remainder of the season.
With the Bears tendering him, though, Murray will now have an opportunity to remain with the team into the 2025 offseason and could potentially stick around long enough to compete for his roster spot again during training camp next summer.
According to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, the Bears are also tendering defensive end Daniel Hardy as an exclusive rights free agent. No decisions have been reported or announced yet on their other three candidates for EFRA tenders: cornerback Ameer Speed, defensive tackle Jonathan Ford and safety Douglas Coleman III.
Joe Thuney Trade Significantly Overhauls Bears’ O-Line
Keeping Murray is a nice depth move, but the Bears did something a whole lot more beneficial for their offensive line earlier Wednesday with their trade for Thuney.
Thuney — a three-time Pro Bowler for the Chiefs — is one of the best guards in the NFL. According to The 33rd Team, he is one of just five offensive linemen in the league to allow fewer than 10 sacks while playing at least 2,500 pass-blocking snaps in the past five seasons. The four-time Super Bowl champion has also stayed remarkably healthy throughout his career, missing just two games in 2022 in his first nine seasons.
With Thuney’s acquisition, the Bears likely now have their two starting guards for the 2025 season. They also made a trade for another guard — Los Angeles Rams veteran Jonah Jackson — on Tuesday, upgrading the protection for quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears will still have plenty of work to do during the offseason, but adding a pair of starting guards before the official start of NFL free agency on March 12 is a good start.
Will Bears Prioritize Finding a Center in Free Agency?
The Bears have made significant progress toward overhauling their offensive line, but there is still one missing piece they could stand to add: a trustworthy veteran center.
Will the Bears make finding one a top priority when free agency opens, though?
Despite the acquisitions of Thuney and Jackson eating up about $27.8 million in cap space for the 2025 offseason, the Bears will still have about $50 million available to sign players in free agency. That’s more than enough to lock down a veteran center, even the top one on the market in Atlanta Falcons starter Drew Dalman — should they want him.
If Dalman isn’t in the cards, the Bears could instead focus their attention on signing a more seasoned center like longtime Indianapolis Colts starter Ryan Kelly. The 31-year-old has made the Pro Bowl in three of the last five seasons, most recently in 2023, and could still have gas left in the tank to play a meaningful role in the Bears’ rebuilt line.
The league’s legal tampering period will begin at noon ET on March 10 with the official start to 2025 free agency to follow at 4 p.m. ET on March 12.
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