Chicago Bears expected to sign top center Drew Dalman to 3-year, $42 million deal

The Bears' makeover of their offensive line continued Monday when they landed top free agent center Drew Dalman.

Dalman reportedly will sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Bears. He will become the second-highest paid center in the NFL. The free agent negotiation period began at 11 a.m. Monday, but none of the contracts reported Monday can become official until 3 p.m. Wednesday at the earliest.

At 26, Dalman was rated the top available center to hit the free agent market. Dalman allowed two sacks and 13 pressures in nine games despite missing eight games last season with the Atlanta Falcons with a high-ankle sprain. Pro Football Focus rated Dalman the NFL’s fourth-best center in 2024 and third-best in 2023.

The Falcons had one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL when Dalman was in the lineup. Atlanta averaged 130.5 rushing yards per game, led by top back Bijan Robinson, and finished with 2,219 total rushing yards. The offensive line allowed its quarterback to be sacked 32 times, tied for 19th in the league.

Dalman started 40 games and played in 57 since the Falcons drafted him in the fourth round in 2021 out of Stanford. He became the team’s starting center in 2022.

The addition of Dalman was another move in a complete makeover of the interior of the Bears' offensive line by general manager Ryan Poles. He started changing the line Tuesday when he traded a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for veteran offensive lineman Jonah Jackson.

The next day, Poles made another major move when he sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney. Neither deal can be official until Wednesday.

Fixing the offensive line was a top priority for Poles and new Bears coach Ben Johnson heading into the offseason after last season’s line failed to protect quarterback Caleb Williams. Opposing teams sacked Williams 68 times last season during his rookie season, which ranked third most in NFL history.

Poles might not be done with changes to the line. Dalman, Thuney and Jackson likely will make up the starting interior of the line, and Darnell Wright should keep his spot as the team’s starting right tackle. But Poles could look to boost the left tackle position after starter Braxton Jones had ankle surgery toward the end of last season.

He could do that in the draft in April, when the Bears will have three of the first 41 selections.