The Chicago Bears’ offensive line needs a complete overhaul on the interior as Ryan Poles looks to replace both starting guards and his starting center.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, like trading for another team’s expensive, free agent bust.
Sending a sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Jonah Jackson isn’t the type of move that inspires a ton of confidence for the Bears.
He signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Rams last offseason and struggled in the four games he played this year.
Jackson suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2, and when he returned from injured reserve, he was benched due to poor play.
Los Angeles owed him over $17 million this year and wanted nothing to do with him. In comes the Bears to take him off their hands.
The hope is that Jackson can return to a higher level of play, closer to what he was over the first four years of his career in Detroit under Ben Johnson.
That’s an expensive gamble for Poles, who could have used all of that salary cap space to sign a free agent that might be better quality without costing a late-round pick in a trade.
The silver lining is that Jackson’s contract only guarantees him money for 2025, and Chicago could cut him after one season with minimal salary cap impact.
But the Bears are desperate and still need to find two more starters on the interior of the offensive line.
Securing Jackson in the left guard spot ahead of free agency gives Poles one less variable to have to account for and less desperation to have to sign three new starters in free agency.
It’s not the move that many Bears fans were hoping for, but it’s the first step in improving the position most important to Caleb Williams’ success in 2025.