Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the squad were hit with stunning news when ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced that Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman has informed the team he is retiring from the NFL.
Dalman is only 27 and signed a three-year, $42 million deal last offseason to become the anchor on the offensive line. He was a major reason why the Bears’ O-line ranked No. 1 in pass block win rate (74%) and fifth in run block win rate (74%) last season, and now that he’s gone, the Bears have a major hole at center.
“He wears a lot of hats in terms of what we ask him to do,” head coach Ben Johnson said regarding Dalman. “He’s so smart. There’s really not a whole lot we get stumped by.”
Replacing Dalman will be a huge task for general manager Ryan Poles and company. That said, Williams made sure to send a message to Dalman on his retirement.
In an Instagram story, Williams wrote, “4eva! Appreciate you! And gonna miss
ya big guy!! Enjoy retirement”
Williams also tweeted out “🥲 Hulk…” on X, referring to giving the Avengers nicknames to his offensive line, which included Dalman as Hulk, LT Ozzy Trapilo as Wolverine, LG Joe Thuney as Dr. Strange, RG Jonah Jackson as Red Hulk, and RT Darnell Wright as Winter Soldier (aka Bucky Barnes).
Dalman was a major reason the Bears went from having one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL to one of the best, and now that he’s gone, Poles isn’t wasting any time looking for a potential replacement.
The first thing many fans are wondering is if the Bears will go after this year’s top free agent center, Tyler Linderbaum. The answer, according to NFL insider Albert Breer, is that “the Bears have sniffed around Tyler Linderbaum and now that makes sense.”
Unfortunately for the Bears, who are tight on money, it won’t be cheap signing Linderbaum. According to ESPN’s Gan Graziano, he’s expected to get offers that exceed $20 million per year. For reference, Dalman was earning $14 million per year.
A cheaper option will be Tyler Biadasz, who was recently released by the Washington Commanders. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has already reported that the Bears are hosting him for a visit, and he could be signed before the start of free agency since he was released.
Regardless, the Bears will have to free up some cap space. Right now, they have negative $7.7 million, according to OvertheCap.com, but with Dalman’s retirement, Chicago will be positive with $10 million saved.
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