Drew Dalman retiring is a kick to the gut for the Chicago Bears. This team has worked for over a decade to secure that position, trying all sorts of names. Some worked a little better than others, but nobody stood out as a clear solution. Dalman seemed to change that with his Pro Bowl campaign last season. Now he’s stepping away from football at age 27, leaving a massive void in the middle of the Bears’ offensive line. So what do GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson do now?

Let’s start with the obvious. Don’t expect the team to find their answer in the draft. It’s not the best year for find a true day one starter in this class. Besides, Johnson will want a veteran in the middle who can help make life easier for quarterback Caleb Williams, calling protections and getting guys aligned properly. The big fish of free agency is Tyler Linderbaum from Baltimore. Chicago already hosted veteran Tyler Biadasz for a visit. However, the one who may actually fit this team the best is Connor McGovern.

Connor McGovern can do everything Drew Dalman did.

The 28-year-old had the best season of his career for the Buffalo Bills in 2025, allowing just 18 pressures on Josh Allen in 19 games and helping pave the way for James Cook and their #1-ranked rushing attack. Unfortunately for Buffalo, they don’t have the cap space to hand McGovern the extension he deserves. Thus, he will be a free agent next week. When looking at the scouting reports about him, you start to see traits that Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar would immediately gravitate to.

Starting experience as both a guard and center. NFL body type with broad upper body and good lower-body thickness. Works well in double teams. Can punch and carry target while the double block settles in. Stays wide and can play wide. Good catch-run-and-secure transitioning on zone blocks. Bends effectively for desired pad level. Able to dig opponents anchor out on down blocks. Consistent hand placement as run blocker. Not easily bull-rushed. Can open hips and make athletic recoveries when beaten. Decent redirect power in pass protection.

A center in this offense must be smart, tough, athletic, and a strong run-blocker like Drew Dalman was. McGovern is all of those things and might actually be a better pass protector. His anchor against power is something Dalman never really possessed. The challenge will be money. Projections have McGovern commanding around $16 million per year. That is a lot less than Linderbaum ($25 million) but more than Dalman’s cost ($14 million). Are the Bears willing to foot the bill?

McGovern would plug the hole, but at a price.

If the Bears move to sign him, any chance they may have of trading for Maxx Crosby dies. They can’t afford to pay McGovern what he’ll command and secure the star pass rusher as well. Given what we know about this team’s power structure, it feels like Johnson would push to settle the center position. They need to ensure Williams is adequately protected for that offense to work. From there, they will have to rely on mid-tier free agents and the draft to address other roster issues, such as left tackle, the defensive line, and the secondary.

It’s a challenging job, but one the Bears must face. They have a strong core in place. That is the good news. If they manage their resources appropriately, they should be able to keep the team strong enough to once again challenge in the NFC. The one thing they must not do is overreach themselves. One player alone won’t get them where they want to go. McGovern would be a good first step, though. Convincing him to join the roster without breaking the bank will be the hard part.

Many thought the matter was closed, but it appears things remain in limbo at the moment. Chicago Bears fans have cried foul for weeks, saying the team isn’t receiving two compensatory picks for assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, who was recently hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their GM. However, a technicality in the NFL rulebook states the person must be the “head football decision-maker” in the building. Since Matt Ryan was given the job of president of football operations, he is considered that guy, despite repeatedly stating that Cunningham would run the show.

So basically, the Bears got screwed because of a job title.

GM Ryan Poles revealed he’d sent an appeal to the NFL through official channels, arguing that the spirit of the rule has been met. Cunningham is a minority candidate who was given direct control of the roster on his new team. That meets the requirements. As of now, the Bears haven’t heard back from the league. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune believes that time is coming. Based on the typical NFL schedule, the full draft order, including compensatory picks, will be set before the start of the new league year next week.

Poles believes the Bears deserve the extra picks. Cunningham said the same thing. As best I understand it, neither franchise believes there’s a great chance the league will shift its stance on the situation. The Bears can hold out hope though…

…We ought to know before long. The last three years, the league has announced the complete draft order and distribution of compensatory picks between March 8 and March 11.

Losing Ian Cunningham for nothing will hurt this year, especially.

Not only are the Bears light on salary cap space and draft capital, but they just lost starting center Drew Dalman to a surprise retirement. That opens yet another key roster spot they need to fill. Those two compensatory picks would be a massive help in their efforts to retool the roster. Right now, the general feeling is the NFL won’t shift its position. The league has a reputation for sticking close to the rulebook, even if it’s unreasonable in the public eye. It would be quite a departure if it reversed course and ruled in their favor.

Much of this may center on the contract Ian Cunningham signed. If the language explicitly states that he is the organization’s head football decision-maker, that might be enough for the league to change its initial ruling. If the Bears get a favorable outcome, they suddenly have eight picks in this draft, including four in the first three rounds. That would give them ample opportunities to infuse the roster with more young talent. If it doesn’t? That might only make the Rooney Rule look even weaker, which is the opposite of what the NFL has wanted.

Everything will come into focus by early next week. Until then, all the Bears can do is conduct other important business. Don’t be surprised if some trades start happening soon as well.

Last week, the Chicago Bears‘ business began when they granted linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade. It wasn’t a huge surprise. The veteran had become too expensive for them to keep around with their salary cap issues. Removing him from the books would net $15 million in space. The only question was whether they could get something in return for him. Most don’t think so. Why trade for somebody destined to be cut? The simple answer is that teams who really want him don’t want to risk another team luring him away in the open market.

That is why it was never completely crazy that Chicago might find a suitor for Edmunds’ services. If we follow the breadcrumbs, it appears they may have a bite, courtesy of notorious Twitter (X) insider Rickey213. He posted on a New York Giants forum that the team is planning to trade for a linebacker.

Rickey213 has earned a reputation for surprisingly accurate information going back over the past few years. He broke Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, all getting their contract extension before everybody else. He’s also correctly pinpointed eventual trades. This revelation about pursuing a linebacker makes sense, and people close to the Giants think they know who it is.

This Tremaine Edmunds idea makes logistical sense.

New York needs serious help at linebacker. That hasn’t been a secret. Edmunds is a quality veteran who is still only 28 years old. Their new defensive coordinator, Dennard Wilson, prefers linebackers who can function in coverage. Edmunds had four interceptions last season despite missing a month with an injury. Conversely, the Bears need pass rush help. New York can’t afford to pay Kayvon Thibodeaux because they’ve already given Brian Burns a huge contract and must retain funds for when they’ll need to do the same with Abdul Carter.

Thibodeaux is in the final year of his contract, just like Edmunds is. Swapping the two players makes sense. Each fills a critical need for the other team. If Thibodeaux excels, the Bears can either extend him or let him hit free agency, where he’ll likely fetch them a compensatory 3rd round pick. New York has lots of cap space clearing up after this year, so they could extend Edmunds if he performed well for them. More importantly, neither team gives up draft picks, which will ease any fan backlash.

NFL Player-for-Player Swaps since 2000

This idea was hinted at last week.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN indicated that the Giants were among three teams interested in Edmunds. New head coach John Harbaugh often prefers to build his teams through a defensive identity. It’s what brought him so much success in Baltimore. Tremaine Edmunds is the type of long, athletic linebacker he usually prefers. More than anything, it’s his winning experience that will appeal to the Giants. Edmunds has now made the playoffs with both Buffalo and Chicago. That mentality will hopefully carry over to New York.

Free agency begins next Tuesday. Teams often prefer to get trades done before then. The Bears are no exception, having worked out the Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney deals at the same time last year. If something happens with Edmunds, it will be in the next five days. Maybe the Giants are the landing spot, or maybe another team swoops in at the last minute. As always, it is a fluid situation.

Most of the trade buzz is centering around Maxx Crosby at the moment. This is no surprise, given his immense value as a pass rusher. However, he isn’t the only name involved in discussions around the league. It appears wide receiver DJ Moore also has the eye of several teams. Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made it clear the team loves him, but the economics of their situation make any decision on next season tricky. Trading him would clear $16 million in cap space and net the team some much-needed draft capital.

The challenge, as always, is finding the right taker. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the team to watch right now is the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl runner-up watched their young quarterback look anemic in the playoffs against some of the league’s best defenses. Stefon Diggs was mostly invisible in the playoffs, proving the team didn’t really have a second option at wide receiver. Pairing him with Moore would give young quarterback Drake Maye some help.

One Bears player plenty around the league are keeping an eye on is wide receiver D.J. Moore. The former first-round pick is coming off his least productive year of his career. The Patriots could be a landing spot for Moore if the Bears do a deal involving the receiver, or he could be part of a hypothetical package that goes to a needy Las Vegas team in a deal for Crosby.

DJ Moore to the Patriots opens up several doors.

New England has $39 million in cap space and the capability to create more. They should have zero issues absorbing Moore’s contract. They’ll also have him under control through 2029, giving them a measure of stability on offense as Maye continues to grow. From the Bears’ side, shedding that $16 million in salary, along with Drew Dalman’s retirement, gets them back under the salary cap and in a position to start retooling their roster. Along with the $15 million expected from either trading or cutting Tremaine Edmunds, that opens the door for a potential big move if they wish to make one.

As for compensation? New England has two 4th round picks in this year’s draft. It wouldn’t be much of an issue for them to flip one to Chicago for Moore’s services. They could also give up a 3rd if that’s not enough and still have those two 4ths. Much depends on how much of a market DJ Moore has. The belief is that it will be determined by the situation with A.J. Brown in Philadelphia. Teams who miss out on him might feel compelled to secure a consolation prize. Moore would be the obvious fallback plan.

The Bears have a tough decision to make.

Under ideal conditions, they’d keep DJ Moore as another weapon for Caleb Williams. Sadly, it’s not ideal. They’re in a tough cap situation, and some believe he and the young quarterback still don’t have the best chemistry despite their heroics together last season. Flipping him to New England makes sense for the reasons above, but also another. It keeps him on a contending team. Moore has done great work in Chicago. The last thing they want to do is exile him to a perennial loser. The Patriots will keep his chances to chase a ring open.

Meanwhile, the Bears will move forward with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Colston Loveland as their primary weapons in the passing game. It is a younger and more explosive group. All seem to have the full trust of Williams. It will be interesting to see when something happens. Usually, teams like to make their moves before free agency begins. However, some deals can wait until closer to the draft. Chicago has no reason to rush the market, so this could be a slow burner.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles confirmed last week that the team has been receiving calls about the availability of quarterback Tyson Bagent. Rumors first surfaced when insiders close to the Arizona Cardinals said new head coach Mike Lafleur was intrigued by Bagent. Poles revealed that other teams were involved as well, suggesting a serious market is forming for the 25-year-old. That isn’t entirely a surprise, given that both free agency and the draft look weak at the position.

Normally, in a situation like this, we don’t know if a trade is real until it happens. Teams prefer to keep their interest completely secret. Well, everybody except the New York Jets, apparently. Something wild took place on Twitter (X) last week. When the Poles’ revelation about the Bears receiving calls went out, a Jets fan posted a photo of Bagent in green and white.

Three hours later, something insane happened. The Jets’ actual Twitter (X) account responded to that tweet, posting a video of insider Ian Rapoport discussing the possibility of Bagent joining New York. It stayed up for over a week without anyone noticing. However, it started gaining attention on March 3rd and was quickly deleted.

The Jets’ interest in Tyson Bagent seems undeniable.

Nothing like this has ever happened before with the account of an actual team posting a tweet about another player they don’t employ. If that isn’t a declaration of interest, nothing is. It isn’t hard to see why. New York has no starting quarterback. The Justin Fields experiment is over. Luring free agents after the year they just had will be impossible. Head coach Aaron Glenn worked with Ben Johnson for years in Detroit. If the Bears’ head coach signs off on the capability of a quarterback, Glenn is certain to take notice.

Last but not least, the Jets have the ammunition to make a trade. They have four picks in the first two rounds alone of this draft. Rumors say the Bears want a 2nd rounder for Bagent. New York could easily flip the latter of their two 2nds to Chicago for Bagent and still have two 1sts and a high 2nd to address the rest of their roster. It is either that or take a gamble on a rookie, which sounds inadvisable with this draft class. Bagent is under contract for two more years at a low price. He’s been developed by a good coach. If it doesn’t work out, the Jets should be able to turn back around and go after a QB in a much better class next year.

Bagent’s desire might be weighed in this scenario.

Remember, the Bears are under no obligation to trade the young quarterback. Everybody in the building loves him. They would prefer he stick around. However, they also know he desires to eventually become a starter in the league. If the Jets offer him that opportunity, would he take it? New York doesn’t exactly have a sterling reputation around the league these days. Glenn just got done replacing his entire offensive staff, relying on names like Frank Reich, who had been out of the league for 2 years.

Would Tyson Bagent be willing to bet what could be his one and only chance to start on a situation like that? Now, the good news is that the Jets have assembled an intriguing offense. Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou headline a talented offensive line while Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and Breece Hall offer a strong cast of weapons. If Reich can install a decent system, it could work. Everything depends on how confident Bagent is that he can handle the immense pressure of playing in New York.

His experience in Chicago may actually be a great benefit in that regard. Either way, the Jets may have accidentally tipped their hand.