The NFL never ceases to surprise, a league consistent in its unpredictability and amazing with the volume of neck-jolting twists that occur year-round. Out of nowhere sometimes, with major ripple effects, too.
The theater of it all can make hearts race. And at times, it can make stomachs drop. Which is what likely happened to the Chicago Bears on Tuesday.
Just when it felt like coach Ben Johnson’s team — and, in particular, his offense — had momentum and continuity propelling it forward in 2026, here came the first jarring development of the year, news that center Drew Dalman was hanging his helmet and shoulder pads up for good, informing the team, as multiple league sources confirmed to The Athletic, of his plans to retire.
Whoa.
We repeat: Bears center Drew Dalman is detouring into retirement.
At age 27 and after just five NFL seasons. Coming off a magnificent year, too, a campaign in which he aided an offensive resurgence in Chicago, earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career and was part of an NFC North championship run.
Now? Dalman has expressed his desire to move on, not just from the Bears but from football altogether, a stunning development that, for the Bears, instantly intensified the already hectic game of Whack-A-Mole they must participate in over the next seven weeks as they use free agency and the draft to keep their roster championship-ready.
On a March Tuesday when movement in the betting markets had some Bears fans convinced a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby would occur and shake the league, the team’s biggest news instead came from the blind side with enough force to knock the wind out of fans and team officials.
Suddenly, in addition to a priority need at left tackle, the Bears must also fill a starting spot in the center of their offensive line. And not just fill that spot, but do so with a performer who can bring all that Dalman delivered in his one season. Intelligence. Durability. Composure.
Yes, as advertised when the Bears signed Dalman to a three-year, $42 million contract last spring, the veteran center immediately made life easier on quarterback Caleb Williams. Softspoken but process-driven, Dalman took pride in his preparation habits and game-day motor.
He was a big part of a Bears rushing attack that amassed more yards during the regular season (2,456) than any other team in the NFC. And he bolstered the protection up front during a year in which Williams lowered his sack rate from 10.8 percent to 4.1 percent and his sack total from 68 to 24.
Dalman also didn’t miss a snap the entire season — 1,154 during the regular season, 159 more in the playoffs.
Folded within all that, his brains and vision proved to be invaluable assets, helping lighten the pre-snap load on his young quarterback and offering a consistent sense of calm as the Bears offense first found its balance, then forged an identity and ultimately became a top-10 unit in the league in both total yardage (sixth, 369.5 per game) and scoring (ninth, 25.9 ppg).
Toward the end of the season, a week before Dalman was named to the Pro Bowl, Williams sang his center’s praises as a key contributor in everything the offense was doing.
“He’s the brains in all of it,” Williams said. “But when he gets out there on the field, he’s strong as can be, fast. And he’s the right guy for the job for my future and our future here.”
Similar sentiments were echoed all season by the coaching staff, who understood the kind of reliability their standout center provided — and would hopefully continue to provide.
With Dalman flanked by guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, the Bears felt strongly about the interior of their offensive line coming out of last season, but now suddenly have this huge hole.
Luke Newman, a 2025 sixth-round pick, could be a candidate to compete for the unexpected opening. The Bears may also target free agency to find a veteran replacement. (Ryan Bates was listed as the team’s backup center for most of last season but is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next week.)
Stability at center has been an issue for the organization over the past decade-plus. In the previous 11 seasons, after a long stretch in which Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza were the stalwarts at center, the team has used seven Week 1 starters. That revolving-door cast has included Dalman, Coleman Shelton, Lucas Patrick, Sam Mustipher, Cody Whitehair, James Daniels and Will Montgomery.
A coach as ambitious as Johnson will almost certainly seek greater continuity and stability. But, as short-term shopping goes, the push to address the center need will have to occur simultaneously with the Bears’ efforts to strengthen their pass rush, secondary and linebacking corps.
Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum could be the top available free-agent center if the Ravens’ efforts to re-sign him stall out. But Linderbaum may be in line to snag a record-setting deal early next week, potentially eyeing a contract north of $20 million per year, a steep price tag for a team like the Bears that is already working through significant salary-cap constraints.
Other free-agent options could include Tyler Biadasz, Connor McGovern, Ethan Pocic or Graham Glasgow. Glasgow, a native of Aurora, Ill., who was just released by the Lions this week, has history with Johnson from their time together in Detroit. There is some curiosity inside league circles, though, about whether at 33, he will return for an 11th NFL season, perhaps in line to retire himself.
So, yes, the Bears will have to be aggressive, diligent and urgent as they explore their options. And they will have to show similar purpose to what they exhibited last spring when, with needs at center, they made Dalman their priority in free agency with a lucrative deal that seemed to solidify the center position for the foreseeable future.
Alas …
When Dalman arrived last March, Johnson was instantly struck by his growth mindset, his constant desire for knowledge. Before their relationship was even 48 hours old, Dalman was already probing his coach for constructively critical reviews of his film.
Johnson, meanwhile, wasn’t even a little bit hesitant, giving his new center a demanding role.
“He is going to be the quarterback of our offensive line,” Johnson said. “He’ll be setting the protections in the run game for us. That’s something he has done in the past. And I think we can put even more on his plate than what he has been exposed to previously.
“I’m excited about that. He is still learning. He’s still growing as a player. He has not hit his ceiling yet either.”
Added Dalman: “What I want to do most is add value to this team.”
Which he did. At a Pro Bowl level during a thrilling Bears run.
On the day after the season ended with a gutting 20-17 divisional-round loss to the Rams, Dalman spoke with pride in what the team had built in an encouraging first season under Johnson. He praised the team’s effort and unity, its physicality and attention to detail. Most of all, he seemed thrilled with the collective ambition the team was using as fuel, not just for 2025 but for what the whole organization hopes can be a long run of sustained success.
“I don’t think there’s any sense that we’ve finished building anything,” Dalman said. “I think we’re really happy with the progress we’ve made and the trajectory we’re on. But I don’t think anybody feels satisfied with the finished product.”
Dalman called Johnson “an incredible mind and a great leader” and spoke glowingly about the rapport he built up with Williams and the culture he watched blossom inside the Halas Hall locker room.
The sincerity in Dalman’s tone seemed to hint he was a man on a mission within a team with unfinished business, particularly after the joyride came to an abrupt halt with that overtime playoff loss deep into January.
“We gave it everything we had,” Dalman said. “But you’ve got to come back again next year and hope that with increased effort, increased focus and all those things, you’ll push past that.”
The Bears’ push will now go on without him.
— The Athletic’s Jeff Howe contributed to this story.