The 10 best moves of the Chicago Bears offseason: Silvy

The vibes are back.

From the coaching cycle, to the combine, to free agency, to the draft, to minicamps, the Bears dominated once again.

There are plenty of offseason championship jokes to go around Chicago, but the Bears did do some major heavy lifting since the end of a dysfunctional 2024 season.

With OTAs in the rearview mirror, the team heads into the only true off portion of the offseason. The next time the Bears get together it will be for training camp and the real start of the 2025 campaign.

I’ll give Ryan Poles a B+ for how he’s navigated the NFL landscape from January til now. Here are my favorite moves:

1. Ben Johnson hired as head coach.

He was the top prospect for what ailed the Bears and so far, has hit every mark for how he’s conducted business inside Halas Hall.

Smart, well spoken and demanding – he quickly has shown he’s more than just a coordinator holding the head coach title. I could not be more impressed, and while I have been fooled before, I’d be shocked if Johnson isn’t a long term solution.

2. Trading for and extending Joe Thuney.

It’s extremely rare for an All-Pro and winner like Thuney to become available and at your biggest weakness to boot. He’s on the older side, but still should have two or three years of great football left. Thuney blocked for and won with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. He can help Caleb Williams in more ways than one.

3. Signing Drew Dalman

No more patchwork at center. Poles failed in past years and finally figured it out. Dalman is good and in the prime of his career.

4. Hiring Johnson’s coaching staff.

Here’s why this shouldn’t be included with the head coach. In 1999, when the Bears identified Dave McGinnis as their target, the plan fell apart when the team didn’t want to pay McGinnis’ choices for assistants. Johnson has former players and experienced/accomplished assistants at virtually every position group.

5. Signing Grady Jarrett.

This isn’t as sure of a thing as trading for Thuney. While they’re both the same age, Jarrett isn’t at the top of his game like Thuney, but he still provides production. Last year’s leadership committee didn’t have one player like Jarrett.

6. Stadium Focus is back to Arlington Heights.

Common sense finally has prevailed on where to build a new Bears home. Every option is imperfect in the city, while the Bears can check every box on land they already own. This would be higher on the list if the team was ready to break ground or if plans were farther along. I wouldn’t be shocked if Kevin Warren changed course again, but for now I’m hopeful of a world class stadium at Arlington Park.

7. Trading for Jonah Jackson.

He knows what it’s like to play for Ben Johnson and completes the overhaul of the interior of the offensive line. This still will be the third position for Jackson in the past three seasons as he played center for the Rams and left guard for the Lions.

8. Extending Kyler Gordon.

Poles previously gave money to Jaylon Johnson and Cole Kmet, but those were Ryan Pace picks. Gordon is the perfect modern-day nickel back, and as Jeff Joniak says, he can be deployed in many different ways. Gordon is a true core piece and is worth more than his cost.

9. Drafting Colston Loveland and Luther Burden.

Not many had either as potential Bears picks, but I trust Johnson when it comes to evaluating skill players. It was revealed recently that the Rams tried to trade up to No. 8 to draft Loveland – nice validation from Sean McVay.

10. Keeping Tyrique Stevenson.

Other teams may have parted ways with the corner after an undisciplined sophomore season, but his talent is obvious. Stevenson was one of my favorites after his rookie year and I’m glad the Bears didn’t throw him away with old coaching staff.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.