LAKE FOREST., Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles sought to overhaul their team on both sides of the line of scrimmage in free agency and the NFL draft.
They feel like they’ve accomplished it already in a matter of a week, after they traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Johnson wants an offense as effective as the one he led as a coordinator in Detroit, and he was excited about the way the new guards will fit into his scheme.
“Yeah, we want some tough, some gritty, some dirty individuals and we feel pretty good about the two guys we got,” Johnson said. “Smart is a word that comes to mind, particularly with the interior players. We need guys, we would love to have some versatility to our scheme, some multiplicity if you will.
“We got a couple guys in the building now that we feel strongly can handle a variety of different (blocking) concepts and schemes that we might want to employ each and every week.”
Thuney played for four Super Bowl winners, two in Kansas City and two in New England, while Jackson played for Detroit before spending one year with the Los Angeles Rams. He was held back that season by injury and an unplanned switch to center.
“So, just started off a little bit choppy, but when you go back and see when he was in Detroit, shoot, I can go all the way back to Rutgers when I watched him, the guy is made of the right stuff,” Poles said of Jackson. “And he’s capable of really helping us up front anchoring, but also getting push in the run game.”
Thuney is coming off three straight Pro Bowl berths with the Chiefs and Jackson made one with the Lions.
“We really prioritized guys that are going to win one-on-one battles ... and we feel like both these guys are capable of that,” Johnson said.
Jarrett will be 32 this season and is a year removed from rehabbing a torn ACL.
“The first thing I’ll say about Grady is, this is a guy for a number of years now that’s played at a fantastically high level,” Johnson said.
Jarrett spent 10 years in Atlanta, earning second-team All-Pro honors and two Pro Bowl selections. He regularly practiced against Dalman.
“I mean, working against him in Atlanta, he was so smart, and he had some great guys working with him as well, but to see his growth as a rookie to where he’s come now, I mean, the dude is a beast,” Jarrett said of the 26-year-old center. “I’m happy that he’s gonna be here and I think he’s gonna bring a lot to this team.”
The defensive moves were needed to help balance the pass rush and free up Montez Sweat so that he can better pressure quarterbacks. The offensive changes might help quarterback Caleb Williams avoid being sacked a league-high 68 times again.
“I’d say, you know, for any quarterback, you’ve seen what happened last year,” Jackson said. “He’s taken a lot of hits. You got to build confidence in a young guy like that, in any quarterback, honestly.”
While it’s possible there is still some work left in free agency, the Bears can enter the draft knowing they have addressed areas of need.
“This really opens the whole board for us,” Poles said. “We’re going to be able to sit back and kind of look and say, ‘What’s the best thing to do for the Chicago Bears and who’s the best player that can impact?’
“We’ve got some tough decisions and a lot of film to watch between now and the draft.”
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The Associated Press
