In back-to-back days, the Chicago Bears have found their starting guards for next season via trades: Chiefs All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and Rams guard Jonah Jackson.
Only giving up a 2025 sixth-round pick for Jackson and a 2026 fourth-round pick for Thuney, general manager Ryan Poles is not only showing his willingness to address the offensive line, but a shift in team philosophy.
In 24 hours, the Bears now have agreed to trade a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Rams for Jonah Jackson and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Chiefs for Joe Thuney.
Bears are sparing no expense to protect Caleb Williams. pic.twitter.com/IW1OLfdfVJ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2025
Major Shake-Up? Bears’ Latest Trades Reveal a Shift in Team Philosophy
What Jonah Jackson & Joe Thuney Bring to Chicago
Jonah Jackson, a 2021 Pro Bowler under Ben Johnson, has been a reliable pass protector. From 2022 to 2023, he allowed just two sacks over 926 pass-blocking snaps at left guard, earning a significant contract with the Rams. However, his time in Los Angeles never truly took off; injuries and playing out of position led to an underwhelming stint. A fresh start in Chicago makes sense, and the Bears managed to acquire the 28-year-old for just a sixth-round pick.
OL Jonah Jackson to Chicago…
Interior mauler who can keep the pocket firm. Powerful at the point. Plays with an edge. Latches on to defenders and moves them off the ball. Took reps at center with LA in ‘24 (below average tape). Better fit at guard. #Bears
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) March 5, 2025
As for Joe Thuney, he was one of only two offensive linemen to play at least 200 snaps at both guard (850) and tackle (210) last season. A four-time Super Bowl Champion and two-time All-Pro, Thuney has only allowed seven sacks the last five seasons, including zero this past season. A future Hall of Famer, the 32-year-old guard has started 146 games over nine NFL seasons and only missed two starts during that stretch. The list goes on and on, but for only a fourth-round pick, this trade makes a ton of sense for Chicago.
A Shift in Team Philosophy
The Bears’ approach to bolstering the offensive line has been anything but conventional. While many teams prioritize the draft for long-term roster building, Chicago opted to strike early with two trades before free agency even began.
Why not wait for free agency? Because FA often forces teams to overpay for average talent. While some players deserve top contracts, others have proven to be risky investments. When there are reports of 49ers guard Aaron Banks asking for a deal that pays him between $18-20 million per year, it makes sense to explore other options.
Ryan Poles himself talked about how the philosophy isn’t always the same in regards to addressing positions of need: “Just because it’s the philosophy doesn’t mean that every year there’s answers at those positions for you to take.”
This year, it happened to be a trade that made the most sense for addressing the guard position. Other years, it might not be the case. The point is that the Bears’ philosophy when it comes to building up the team will never follow the same blueprint; allowing flexibility and opening up other avenues to be explored.
This isn’t a new rodeo for Poles. He’s made mistakes trying to build up the Bears roster, but it finally seems like he understands how to properly build this team into a contender. No more handing out cheap deals to mediocre talent. It’s time to catch bigger fish, and that’s evident with the recent trades.
What’s Next for the Bears?
Following the Jackson and Thuney trades, Chicago ranks 14th in available cap space with $50.35 million, per Over the Cap. And by no means is the offensive line overhaul complete yet. The Bears still need depth and a starting center, with free-agent target Drew Dalman emerging as a potential solution.
The mission remains the same—building a competitive roster. The question now is how the Bears will navigate the rest of the offseason to achieve that goal.
Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports
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