The Chicago Bears have a simple objective in 2024: Make sure rookie quarterback Caleb Williams becomes a star.
Williams is no longer the leader in sacks taken this season, but he’s still in second with 16 through four games. Protecting a rookie quarterback can be the difference-maker in his entire career trajectory, and the Bears simply have to do a better job moving forward.
It will be tough to find a perfect fix in the middle of a season, but the spring free agency period is the ideal window to construct Williams’ perfect blockade for the foreseeable future. And there may just be a chance the Bears can land themselves a future Hall of Famer.
On Monday, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department predicted the Bears would sign Dallas Cowboys superstar guard Zack Martin in free agency, making good use of their projected $71 million in cap space (Spotrac).
“Chicago’s interior offensive line issues aren’t going away anytime soon and could get worse in the offseason seeing as (Coleman) Shelton, (Matt) Pryor and Teven Jenkins are impending free agents,” the authors said.
“Don’t be surprised if Ryan Poles goes after one of the best guards on the open market in Martin. The future Hall of Famer might not have a long tenure in the Windy City, but he could help protect Caleb Williams and fill one of the team’s biggest needs.”
Martin seems like an easy choice to bring in if he’s truly available. At 33, there’s no telling how many productive years the nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro has left. But his presence alone could change the Bears’ entire persona as an offense.
A 2014 first-rounder, Martin is now in his 11th NFL season, all with the Cowboys. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade team for the 2010s. The issue, from the Bears’ perspective, is whether Dallas owner Jerry Jones would ever let Martin leave.
This is the NFL, though, and money talks just as loudly as loyalty. If the Bears can blow Martin away with their offer, likely the last big deal he’ll ever sign, he’d have to listen. And Williams would surely be grateful to see Martin in front of him in 2025.
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