Ben Johnson on Drew Dalman: “He’s still growing as a player” |
Ariana Pensy
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- 12 hours ago
CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears have invested a lot of money into their offensive line thus far in the offseason. This includes trades for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney as well as signing center Drew Dalman.
Head coach Ben Johnson believes intelligence is one of the most important characteristics of offensive linemen, which is part of why he wanted Dalman on his roster. “I talked about intelligence and (I) think at that spot, it is critical. He’s going to be the quarterback of our offensive line. He’ll be setting the protections and the run game for us, something he’s done in his past and I think we can put even more on his plate than what he’s been exposed to previously and so, I’m excited about that. He’s still learning. He’s still growing as a player. So, he has not hit his ceiling yet either,” Johnson said. “He’s already asked me several times, ‘What did you see on tape that I can get better at?’ and so, that’s the type of person we’re getting. He just sees this as the next step in his growth and I think that’s going to translate to the rest of the room as well. We have some young, talented players.” Dalman had a strong campaign with the Atlanta Falcons last season. His overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade was No. 4 among 64 centers in the league at 78.8. Dalman specifically excels when it comes to run blocking as his PFF grade was 79.8. This is especially promising for Chicago given how their run game struggled last year, in part because of the poor blocking from the offensive line. While pass blocking is not Dalman’s strong suit, his PFF grade was still No. 21 of 64 centers; thus, it is still something he is solid at. That will be important this season for games such as when Chicago faces the Minnesota Vikings who are notorious for their exotic blitz packages. “I think the hardest problems defenses give us is schematically in the pass rush game, the blitz pick up and those type of things, particularly on third down and so, I feel strongly that Drew is going to have the acumen to be able to help us out and problem solve,” Johnson said. “There’s unscouted looks each and every week that, as long as you understand the rules of protection, we can figure it out. But, everything’s happening quickly. So, it’s a fun challenge and I know Drew and (quarterback) Caleb (Williams) are looking to grow together that way.” Perhaps the biggest concern with Dalman is his injury history. Over the past two seasons, Dalman has missed 11 games; eight of those were last season. All 11 games he missed were a result of ankle injuries. Given Chicago’s injury problems last year at offensive line, they will need to focus on depth this offseason to ensure they can still protect Williams in the event injuries come up again. For Dalman, this means building chemistry with everyone in the offensive line room. “We usually play with eight or nine guys over the course of the season,” Johnson said. “So, it’s not just the starting group that needs to be gelled, but we have some depth players, some young guys, that may or may not be in the building right now that we’re going to be counting on and he’s going to help spearhead that charge in terms of getting everyone ready to play on Sunday.”
