A recent two-part series from The Athletic’s Mike Sando featured his annual check-in with league executives who anonymously shared their thoughts on how clubs’ offseasons have gone thus far. He didn’t waste any time mentioning the Navy and Orange.

“The once-sleepy Chicago Bears might have won the offseason, drawing positive reviews,” Sando wrote in his NFC breakdown.

Head coach Ben Johnson was Chicago’s big coup, but on the player side of things, the Bears have added several starter upgrades, while suffering minimal losses.

Offensive linemen Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, and Jonah Jackson, and defensive linemen Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo were their key additions, which contributed to their eleventh-highest average per year salary of $50.9 M added. They lost an average of $24.2M (22nd), for a differential of $26.7M (8th).

Here’s what some of the NFL executives said about the Bears.

“I like what Chicago has done,” one exec said. “They have gotten better. I do not know how much we will see it in their record. If they win eight games, is that progress?”

Eight wins would be a three-game improvement over 2024, but that would be a disappointment with so much buzz surrounding Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and the new look Bears.

“I applaud them for doing it the way they are doing it,” another exec said. “You get two proven commodities at guard, and the head coach (Ben Johnson) knows Jonah Jackson from Detroit. It’s an overpay for the center, but they have a chance to address left tackle in the draft and come away with a pretty formidable group.”

Dalman’s $14 million per year average is currently the second highest at center, but as we’ve seen time and time again, the market is reset each offseason. Plus, salaries go up each year, and it’s just a matter of time before another center or two pass his average.

It’s been reported that the Bears want to incorporate a wide zone running scheme, which likely played a role in acquiring the athletic Dalman.

“Detroit did a lot of that, but with the keeper element that Caleb Williams enables, your cutback is going to be there,” this exec said. “Time will tell if their guard play enables the gap-scheme element as a complement. I do think the integrity of the pocket, with that center, will be compromised in dropback situations. I’d imagine they are planning on staying out of those situations as much as they can.”

One exec was split on Chicago’s two new defensive linemen.

“The guy they signed from Indy (Odeyingbo) has the upside to get 8-10 sacks as an interior rusher,” an exec said. “He was hurt coming out of college and never fit in with what the Indy was doing. That is a good signing. Jarrett is just a run defender at this point.”

Chicago’s roster construction makes me believe they’ll add a defensive end and defensive tackle in the draft to go along with their veterans. Odeyingbo was signed to play on the edge, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bears move him all over the d-line.