For the 17th straight year, we’re bringing you who we believe will be the ten most important Chicago Bears for the upcoming season, and at number 10 is new center Drew Dalman.
When was the last time you felt good about the Chicago Bears‘ starting center heading into a season?
I’m not talking hopeful that their center will pan out, but the last time you felt really good, like zero doubt in your mind that Chicago had a guy?
Cody Whitehair made the Pro Bowl at center in 2018, but the Bears were so excited about that move that they drafted his replacement the following offseason. Whitehair was never supposed to play center when he was drafted, but things kept happening during his career that necessitated the position change.
But 2025 should be different, because the Bears gave Drew Dalman a three-year deal worth $42 million to stabilize a position they’ve tried to patch with band-aids for a decade.
Last year, Ben Johnson’s Lions ran outside zone more than every team in the league except Dalman’s Falcons, making his signing the biggest no-brainer of the free agency period. That’s why they were comfortable making Drew the third-highest-paid center in the game.
“Drew Dalman will excel in Ben Johnson’s scheme,” Pro Football Focus wrote back in March after he signed in the Windy City. “Dalman’s track record with outside zone concepts is immaculate, producing an impact block on over 27.5% of his snaps on his way to a 93.8 PFF run-blocking grade.”
Last year, he missed weeks four through eleven when he went on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, but he came back and finished strong for Atlanta. A quick peek at Chicago’s depth chart shows just how important it is that Dalman stays healthy.
Ryan Bates, who is still working back from last year’s injury, could be number two, but he hasn’t played center in a long time and has only 140 total offensive snaps in the last two years. Doug Kramer Jr., Chris Glaser, and Rikey Stromberg are also on the roster, but none have done much of anything in the NFL.
At just 26 years old, Dalman is still growing as a player, and with Detroit’s Frank Ragnow retired, Dalman will be in the mix for the best center in the NFC if he stays healthy.