Rams’ Discard Jonah Jackson Doing His Part To Improve Bears’ Line

Ryan Poles was trying to upgrade the over-the-hill offensive line he had inherited when the Bears sunk about $20 million into free agent guard Nate Davis after the 2022 season. He was undoubtedly influenced by head coach Matt Eberflus, who as Indianapolis’ offensive coordinator had watched Davis open holes for Derrick Henry.

But the player who had been consistently solid for Tennessee, one who was referred to as an “underrated” free agent by Pro Football Focus, never made it to Halas Hall.

Davis skipped voluntary workouts in the spring of ’23, then missed most of training camp due to a death in the family. He was bothered by ankle, groin and back injuries and was a healthy inactive at times in ’24 before being released a year ago, having started only 13 games for Chicago.

That sour experience hung over Poles when he made a surprising trade in March, sending a sixth-round pick to the Rams for guard Jonah Jackson, who had been deemed expendable only one season into his three-year, $51 million deal in Los Angeles. The deal for Jackson preceded both a trade for Joe Thuney and the signing of Drew Dalman, which added to a look of desperation by Poles and his franchise.

It seems the coach for vouched for Jackson — new Bears head coach Ben Johnson — knew more about Jackson than Eberflus did Davis.

Jackson has played 100 percent of offensive snaps on a rebuilt offensive line that has played a major role in the success of the 7-3 Bears. That’s the same durability he showed with the Lions, when Johnson was the offensive coordinator.

The investment in Jackson, Thuney and Dalman is reflected in the Bears ranking sixth in the NFL in offensive line spending. But Poles is certainly getting his money’s worth.

Eyebrows were raised when PFF ranked the Bears’ line 24th at the end of last season. The eyeball test seemed worse after watching rookie quarterback Caleb Williams get sacked 68 times but some of that blame landed on Williams.

The Bears head into Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh with an offensive line ranked ninth by PFF. Williams has been sacked only 16 times, which is tied for the fifth fewest in the league. Better yet, the Bears have run for 1466 yards, only 10 yards behind Buffalo’s league-leading rushing offense.

While a relatively easy schedule has contributed to the Bears’ offensive numbers, this is the type of balanced attack that helped Detroit win 15 games in Johnson’s last season as offensive coordinator under head coach Dan Campbell.

Four of the Bears’ offensive line starters — third-year right tackle Darnell Wright in addition to Dalman, Thuney and Jackson — currently carry PFF grades in the top 25 percent at their positions. Dalman (third among 37 centers) has the best mark, followed by Wright (11/76), Thuney (12/80) and Jackson (19/80).

With a $14.6 million salary cap figure this season, Jackson represents the biggest expenditure this season, followed by Dalman at $13.6 million. Thuney, who was a year away from free agency when he was acquired from Kansas City, will jump past them under a two-year extension he agreed to after the trade to Chicago. His cap figure is $21.5 million in ’26 and ’27.

Poles opted to extend Jackson’s contract after acquiring him from the Rams. The Bears replaced the last two seasons on his Rams deal with a three-year, $52.5 million contract.

Along with the work of offensive line coach Dan Roushar and his new teammates, that support has helped Jackson regain the confidence he had as a Pro Bowl blocker in 2021, his second season. He injured his shoulder early in training camp with the Rams and then aggravated the injury in the second regular-season game. He landed on Injured Reserve and never really gained his footing, playing only four games.

The Rams had moved guard Steve Avila to center after signing Jackson but shifted him back when Jackson was hurt. Avila is currently ranked fourth among guards by PFF, only one behind teammate Kevin Dotson.

Their presence elevates Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams on a weekly basis and shows why the Rams were willing to allow Jackson’s agent to talk to teams about a possible trade last February. Poles and Johnson were wise to seize the opportunity.

While the upgraded offensive line has helped the Bears become playoff contenders — 43.7 percent chance, according to ESPN — this is an offense that should only get better in upcoming seasons.

Thuney, Dalman, Jackson and Wright are either under contract or control — Wright’s fifth-year contract option covers 2027 but a long-term extension is a more likely option — for 2026 and ’27. The reality is it may be difficult to hang onto all of them while transitioning from Caleb Williams’ rookie contract to one driven by market forces but this is a first-world problem, unlike ones Poles faced when he arrived in Chicago as general manager.