The Bears continued the dramatic, expensive rebuilding of their offensive line Monday when they quickly agreed to sign former Falcons center Drew Dalman, the top player at his position on the free agent market. He’ll get $42 million over three years, with $28 million guaranteed, per ESPN.
The 26-year-old Dalman was drafted by the Falcons four years ago out of Stanford. Pro Football Focus graded him as their third-best center in 2023 and their fourth-ranked center last year. Dalman allowed two sacks on 295 pass-blocking snaps last season.
He’ll slot in the Bears’ starting lineup between guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, both of whom the Bears traded for last week. Thuney is set to have a $16 million salary cap hit in 2025, the last year of his contract, though the Bears figure to negotiate an extension soon. Jackson has a $17.5 million salary cap hit this season and a $17 million hit in 2026, though the Bears could cut him after one year with no penalty.
The trio is an expensive fix to a Bears offensive line that couldn’t protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams last year. Only two quarterbacks in the history of football have been sacked more often in one season than Williams’ 68 last year. New Bears coach Ben Johnson and GM Ryan Poles vowed to improve the offensive line this offseason, with Johnson saying it was possible to construct a total rebuild of the unit. The Bears could still look to upgrade at tackle by replacing Braxton Jones, who is recovering from ankle surgery.
Signing Dalman continues to send a strong message that the Bears will spare no expense in trying to give Williams the best opportunity to succeed in his second season. That plan started when the Bears landed Johnson by, in part, agreeing to pay him around $13 million a year.
Dalman’s average of $14 million per season makes him the second-highest-paid center in the NFL behind the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey. Only three other centers average more than $10 million per season.
NFL teams were permitted to start negotiating deals with agents at 11 a.m. Monday, though they cannot sign contracts until the start of the league season Wednesday at 3 p.m.