This one is a no-brainer. The Bears ultimately fell flat on their faces last season after selecting quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the draft and investing heavily in skill players to make his job easier. Those decisions all sounded promising until this team dropped 10 straight games after a 4-2 start and head coach Matt Eberflus lost his job in late November. Chicago already made one monumental move in hiring former Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as its new head coach. Next up: Finding a way to improve this team in the trenches.

Chicago led the NFL in sacks allowed with 68, so that is the most obvious issue for general manager Ryan Poles to address this offseason. There had been ample speculation that he would target Kansas City guard Trey Smith in free agency, but the Chiefs placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the Pro Bowler. That doesn’t mean the Bears won’t be aggressive with other options. They have one of the best cap-space situations in the league (nearly $80 million) and they hold the 10th overall selection in this year’s draft (where they could find a plug-and-play starter like Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. or LSU OT Will Campbell, both of whom could end up moving to guard at the next level). Chicago also has three interior-linemen starters hitting free agency, so Poles will be looking for replacements there. The best FA possibilities on that front include 49ers guard Aaron Banks, Colts guard Will Fries and Falcons center Drew Dalman.

As for the defense, Montez Sweat is the only consistent edge rusher to pressure quarterbacks, but he finished last season with just 5.5 sacks. Khalil Mack, who played in Chicago from 2018 through 2021, is the biggest name on the pass-rusher market, along with Haason Reddick, Malcolm Koonce and Josh Sweat, the last of whom picked up 2.5 sacks in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl win over Kansas City.

There are other needs in Chicago, but stabilizing the offensive and defensive lines is vital to this team’s success. The NFC North turned into the best division in football in 2024. It’s likely to be just as competitive this coming fall.