The Chicago Bears concluded their 2025 season, where they finished with an 11-6 record, an NFC North title and their first playoff win in 15 years under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. And there’s no denying that the future is incredibly bright.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be counting down our 15 Most Impactful Bears from the 2025 season, which features plenty of young talent that made huge contributions in Chicago’s magical season. We’ll recap their 2025 season and look ahead to how they factor into 2026. There were plenty of top talent to highlight this season, which made for difficult decisions when narrowing the field to just 15 players and/or coaches.
At No. 4 is center Drew Dalman, who joined the Bears as their prized free agent acquisition last offseason. His arrival finally solidified an important position and gave quarterback Caleb Williams a trusted blocker up front.
The Basics
2025 stats
2025 recap
Going into last offseason, the Bears were all over Dalman as an upgrade to the center position. Their interest in the former Atlanta Falcon was one of the worst-kept secrets at the time. So it wasn’t a surprise to see they had agreed to a three-year deal with him worth $42 million and $28 million guaranteed on the first day of the negotiating window. Dalman’s arrival gave the Bears a proven center who could not only execute the necessary blocks but also work seamlessly with Williams to command the offense. Dalman helped anchor a new interior of the line, along with Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and the Bears offense thrived with improved blocking. As Williams said last year, Dalman is “the brains of it all” on the line while he can move guys off the ball like the Hulk. Despite a few snap miscues, Dalman was a major upgrade at center and earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career.
2026 outlook
The Bears were set to have continuity with the interior of their offensive line for the 2026 season, but Dalman had other plans. A week before the new league year began, Dalman shockingly stepped away from the NFL and retired at just 27 years old. For the third year in a row, the Bears will be looking for a new center in the middle of the line.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Most Impactful Bears of 2025: No. 4 Drew Dalman
Reporting by Brendan Sugrue and Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
