Fortifying their interior offensive line on the first two days of the league year last March paid major dividends for the Bears in 2025.
Addressing the team's most pressing need, general manager Ryan Poles traded for Pro Bowl guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson from the Chiefs and Rams, respectively, and signed center Drew Dalman in free agency.
The three talented veterans all excelled while starting every game during the regular season and playoffs, fueling an offensive resurgence that powered the Bears to their first NFC North title since 2018 and their first playoff victory since 2010.
"They've been huge for me this year," quarterback Caleb Williams said late in the season. "All of my support goes out to them for each and every game that we've played this year—being able to keep me upright, being able to allow me to be able to make plays for this team and allowing our other guys to make plays for this team."
Last week, Thuney was presented with the inaugural Protector of the Year Award at NFL Honors as the league's best offensive lineman. Prior to that, he was named first-team All-Pro for the third straight season and voted to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.
Thuney boasts a nearly unmatched championship pedigree, capturing nine division titles in 10 NFL seasons with the Patriots, Chiefs and Bears and winning four Super Bowls, two with New England and two with Kansas City.
"He's just a winner," said coach Ben Johnson. "He knows what it looks like. [He] gets his work done. He's a positive influence throughout the week of preparation. He's the same guy every single day; the model of consistency in terms of his performance but also in terms of how he goes about his craft. And then in the game, he's just what you're going to get every single week. He's been very durable. He's very smart and he's been a huge part of our success up front."
Dalman, who signed with the Bears after spending his first four seasons with the Falcons, earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. He was the only member of the Bears offense or defense who played every snap in 2025.
"He wears a lot of hats in terms of what we ask him to do," Johnson said. "He's so smart. There's really not a whole lot we get stumped by. He's a very big part of what we're doing in the ground game. He's excellent in terms of this wide-zone scheme. He runs off the ball. He does a fantastic job in that regard. I think it carries over to that whole interior."
The interior linemen were joined by third-year right tackle Darnell Wright, who blossomed into one of the best players at his position in 2025. The 10th pick in the 2023 draft was named second-team All Pro.
At left tackle, Braxton Jones started the first four games and Theo Benedet opened the next six contests. Rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo became the starter Nov. 16 in Minnesota and excelled over the second half of the year before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the Bears' wild card win over the Packers.
The offensive line helped the Bears score 441 points in 2025, the third most in franchise history. In addition, the Bears became just the fourth team over the past 20 seasons to rank in the top three in the league in most rushing yards and fewest sacks allowed, finishing third in both categories with 144.5 per game and 24, respectively.
NFL offenses over the past 20 seasons that have ranked in the top three in the league in rushing yards per game and sacks allowed. The Bears finished third in both categories with 144.5 rushing yards and 24 sacks permitted, joining the 2009 Titans, 2017 Jaguars and 2024 Ravens.
The Bears also became the first NFL team since the 1971 Jets to rank in the top six in the league in total yards after finishing last the previous season.
