I like what the Bears are doing, swinging trades for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, while also adding Durham Smythe. Part of the offensive overall, it’s clear, involves getting much better blocking up front.
Ben Johnson has benefitted the last two years from working with one of the best lines in the league. If the Bears are going to have an above-average offense, getting Caleb Williams rolling, they’re going to need better blocking.
Thuney is still one of the best guards in the league, but he’s 32 and will count $16 million against the cap. Kansas City decided it would be better off with a fourth-round pick and some extra cap space.
Jackson comes at a cost of just a sixth-round pick. He’s a year removed from signing a three-year deal worth $51 million. Jackson got that deal after playing well for Johnson in Detroit in 2023. He’ll count $17.5 million against the cap this year.
With offensive lines, there’s always issues of how well the group can play together. But strictly for individual talent and ability, the Bears now should have a top-10 pair of guards.
This move reminds me of the Panthers, who opened free agency last year by committing a similar amount to a pair of guards, Robert Hunt ($100 million for five years) and Damien Lewis ($53 million for four years). Like the Bears, Carolina had a new coach and a quarterback picked No. 1 overall who struggled as a rookie.
The Bears have also signed Smythe, who’ll likely operate some as a blocking tight end. That signing makes a lot more sense than the decision last year to add Gerald Everett (who’s more of a pass catcher).
These aren’t needle-moving names, of course. But blocking is a key part of the game, as evidenced by the Eagles winning the last Super Bowl and the Lions rolling up big numbers in the regular season.
If the Bears get as much out of these additions as the Panthers got out of Hunt and Lewis, it will be money well spent. With their new guards helping out, the Panthers were better in almost every offensive category, scoring twice as many touchdowns, averaging over a half yard more per game while allowing almost half as many sacks.
Carolina won over twice as many games last year while scoring 44 percent more points. The only notable category where they declined was in interceptions (which rose from 10 to 15).
| CAROLINA, LAST 2 YEARS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2023 | 2024 | Diff |
| Win-loss | 2-15 | 5-12 | 150% |
| Points / G | 13.9 | 20.1 | 44% |
| Run Yd / G | 104.1 | 110.5 | 6% |
| Run Yd / Att | 4.0 | 4.6 | 15% |
| TD runs | 7 | 18 | 157% |
| Comp Pct | 59.7% | 62.3% | 4% |
| Pass Yd / G | 190.9 | 200.6 | 5% |
| TD passes | 13 | 22 | 69% |
| Interceptions | 10 | 15 | 50% |
| Passer Rating | 75.2 | 82.0 | 9% |
| Sacks | 65 | 36 | 45% |
—Ian Allan