Feb. 21, 2026, 2:54 p.m. CT
The Chicago Bears finished their 2025 season with an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North and their first playoff game in 15 years.Offensive line coach Dan Roushar is credited with transforming the unit into one of the league’s best.The offensive line allowed a league-low 25 sacks and helped the team rank third in rushing yards per game.Roushar is expected to return in 2026, with most of the successful offensive line remaining intact.
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.
We continue at No. 11 with our first coach on the list, which is none other than offensive line coach Dan Roushar, who led a group that went from one of the worst to one of the best offensive lines in the league with Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Darnell Wright.
The BasicsPosition:Â Offensive line coachAge:Â 65Experience:Â 1st season with Chicago (42 years total)2025 cap hit:Â N/ANeed a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
While Dan Roushar was committed to retiring after the 2024 season, after spending two years with Tulane, he was convinced to return to coaching by Ben Johnson. And what a hire it was for the first-time head coach. Roushar led an offensive line group that was one of the best in the NFL during the 2025 season, whether it was leading the third-best run game in the league or allowing a league-low 25 sacks. After quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie, the Bears overhauled the interior of the offensive line with the additions of All Pro left guard Joe Thuney, Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson to pair with rising right tackle Darnell Wright. While it certainly helped to elevate the talent along the offensive line, Roushar has long been one of the better offensive line coaches in the NFL and college. Case in point, rookie Ozzy Trapilo went from third-string left tackle to establishing himself as a potential long-term answer (before his torn patellar tendon in the playoffs) or Jordan McFadden stepping in to start at left guard, when Thuney kicked over to left tackle in the divisional playoff game against the Rams. McFadden had three snaps all year up to that point, and he came in and was very solid. Roushar is certainly one of the more underrated coaches on Johnson’s staff, but he’s been a key part in the offense’s turnaround.
2026 outlook
There’s been no indication that Roushar has any plans to step down, so he’ll be back leading this offensive line group in 2026. Four spots are locked down with the only question coming at left tackle with Trapilo’s season-ending injury. There’s a question of whether he’ll be ready in time for the start of the season, or if he’ll even be the same, so Chicago will be looking for a backup plan this offseason. Whether that means bringing back Braxton Jones, slated to hit free agency, or turning to Theo Benedet (who just re-signed as an exclusive rights free agent) in the short term remains to the seen. The Bears could also look to free agency or even the 2026 NFL Draft to add a potential long-term option at left tackle. But the fact that Chicago has four spots locked down, with guys that were all solid last season, should have many feeling very optimistic about the offense next season, both in the passing game and run game.
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