Most Impactful Bears of 2025: No. 4 Drew Dalman

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

• Position: Center
• Age: 27
• Experience: 5th season
• 2025 cap hit: $14 million

2025 stats

• 1 sack allowed, 1 QB hit allowed, 24 pressures allowed, 3 penalties

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

Continuity is key for any offensive line, and the Bears will have it in 2026 with Dalman leading the way. Playing next to Thuney and Jackson for a second year in a row will only help the chemistry in the interior, and Williams will get more reps with his center to operate the offense in a more efficient manner. Also consider most of the key coaches, like Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar, will be back as well, and there's no reason for Dalman not to continue to develop in this scheme to make sure everything runs efficiently. As for his play, Dalman is still in his prime and should continue blocking at a Pro Bowl level in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Most Impactful Bears of 2025: No. 4 Drew Dalman