Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has interesting take on offensive line for 2024 struggles

The Chicago Bears offensive line had a tough go at it in the 2024 season. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times in the campaign, a league high amongst all signal callers. Injuries and lack of production hindered the line’s ability to have any true success this past year, but some people within Halas Hall believe that they aren’t solely to blame for the offensive troubles in 2024.

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles believes that the offensive struggles goes beyond the line

Poles made it known that there is more to this team’s offensive woes than just what little the line provided in the 5-12 season.

“There wasn’t one reason,” Poles said. “It wasn’t always offensive line, it wasn’t always the quarterback, it wasn’t always the running back in protection. There’s a lot of factors in there to look into. All were involved, and that’s a place to look into as we move forward, because obviously you don’t want your quarterback hit that much.”

The young general manager brought up the fact that growth from Williams will be needed this offseason. The 23-year-old showed plenty of promise in his first NFL season despite not having much to work with around him.

“And some of those things do fall on Caleb,” Poles said. “In terms of getting us in a position to pick things up and also getting the ball out on time. And that’s part of being a young quarterback. You’re trying to figure out the coverages and you’re seeing a lot of different things, but you’re also trying to be right and that releases some of those sacks. So, there’s a lot of learning to be done in that situation.”

Williams has acknowledged the work the he needs to put in for this offseason, but that he is also excited for what is to come. He will have the opportunity to grow and learn in his first full offseason in the NFL with Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and others.

Whether the line was the primary issue or not, the Chicago Bears still need to address it ahead of 2025

With the future of Teven Jenkins up in the air this offseason, plenty of work will need to be put into the offensive line prior to training camp. It appears that Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright are the only two offensive lineman that are truly safe entering the spring.

Because of this, the draft and free agency will be huge opportunities to add to the struggling unit. The front office could look to the likes of Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks Jr. in the draft to upgrade at the tackle position. If they do go this route, either prospect could compete with Jones for the left tackle spot. The loser of this hypothetical position battle would most likely kick inside and play left guard.

As for the other two spots on the line, one of the two second round draft choices that the Bears hold could be addressed there. Tyler Booker of Alabama would be a dream for the Chicago Bears if he fell in the second round, and would solve a lot of issues on the interior.

The third opening on the line should be addressed in free agency. The Chicago Bears will have plenty of cap space to attack the market how they would like, so there should be no issues in getting the lineman up front of their choice.