The Chicago Bears. This team, ladies and gentlemen, is embarking on the most IMPORTANT off-season in the history of their franchise. After a 2024 campaign that brought us A LOT more bad than good, this team is on a quest to show the world that they are INDEED on the right path. That they are INDEED ready to compete, and are ACTUALLY prepared to move forward….instead of back.

They are in a PRIME SPOT to move to the next level…..but they need to make some changes to their roster in order to get there. They need to shift some pieces around, to help make sure that second-year QB Caleb Williams has everything that he needs to be successful. And it looks like GM Ryan Poles is doing JUST THAT, with these two MONUMENTAL MOVES from this week involving the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Trade: Rams are in the process of sending veteran offensive lineman Jonah Jackson to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick, per ESPN’s @CourtneyRCronin. The trade cannot be processed until March 12. pic.twitter.com/lj3M8VW5V8

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025

Chiefs to trade guard Joe Thuney to Bears. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/r0Yej14qYo

— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2025

The Chicago Bears, for those of you who are unaware, had one of the worst offensive lines in the league last season. In 17 games last year, the five turnstiles that made up Caleb Williams’ protection gave up a LEAGUE WORST four sacks per game on average. This would add up to 68 TOTAL sacks allowed on the year, which is now second on the all-time list for most times a rookie quarterback has been sacked in a season.

They were the absolute WORST! But now, in the span of 24 hours, Ryan Poles and co. have made a complete 180 with their protection up front. With two simple trades, this team has already elevated their front-five to a level that it hasn’t seen in YEARS.

Take Jonah Jackson from the Rams, for instance. This man, although injured last year with the Rams, has only given up TWO SACKS in his last three years of action. That’s 1107 snaps played since 2022…..and only TWO TIMES he’s allowed an opposing defender to take down his quarterback. He may be considered a better run-blocker than pass-blocker (which we sort of lacked last season). But to get a 28-year old lineman of that caliber for only a SIXTH ROUND PICK? That just sounds like a steal, in my book.

Then, you have Joe Thuney. Yes, THAT Joe Thuney. The 3x Pro-Bowler AND 2x All-Pro with the Kansas City Chiefs, who has been a part of two Super Bowl winning teams in the past four years. The man who in 2024 allowed ZERO sacks on the year, while posting a pass-blocked grade of 90.2 since 2021 (which leads all guards in the league). I personally don’t think I need to say it, but the fact that the Bears were able to snag him for only a 4th? That speaks VOLUMES to Ryan Poles’ ability as a GM.

Simply put; Ryan Poles is COOKING right now, and as a lifelong Bears fan…..I couldn’t be happier to see it.

Now obviously, do these two moves come with some question marks of their own? Absolutely! Jonah Jackson is coming off of a shoulder injury that limited him to only four games last season, and Joe Thuney is entering the final year of his contract. But with Jackson’s age and the value that we got him at, and the fact that we have a TON of cap space to extend Thuney if we want to…..I’m MORE THAN WILLING to take these two on for the upcoming season.

This is a BIG MOMENT for Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles, and the entire city of Chicago. Things are looking up, and the off-season is JUST getting started. But in the end, as always….what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.