During his time with the Atlanta Falcons, Drew Dalman quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s most productive centers. Dalman’s PFF grade ranked among the top five at the position in both 2023 and 2024, and his run blocking prowess helped Bijan Robinson ascend to superstardom.
But earlier this offseason, that would change as the 26-year-old lineman signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Chicago Bears. After allowing just four sacks across four seasons with the Dirty Birds, Dalman’s debut in navy and orange was a complete disaster.
In the fourth quarter, the Bears were leading the Minnesota Vikings 17-6. But JJ McCarthy and the Vikes rallied back and Chicago suffered a heartbreaking 27-24 loss on Monday Night Football. Fans were not happy with Caleb Williams’ performance to kick off the Ben Johnson era, and soon thereafter they began to sour on the Stanford product.
Drew Dalman had a rough night in his Bears' debut
The Bears made the California native the third-highest paid center in football—only behind Creed Humphrey and Cam Jurgens. Yet Dalman’s 60.4 PFF grade and 58.7 pass block grade in Week 1 painted an ugly picture. It reinforced one belief: he is still a project in pass protection.
Part of why Williams was running for his life all night is because aside from Darnell Wright, the offensive line struggled mightily. And the run game didn't fare any better as D’Andre Swift averaged just 3.1 yards per carry. It was far from an encouraging night in every area in the Windy City.
The Falcons’ run game struggled in Week 1, but several teams around the NFL struggled on the ground. Meanwhile, the Falcons replaced him with Ryan Neuzil, whose 57.7 PFF grade in Week 1 wasn’t far off Dalman’s—but while making $4.5 million per season, he’s costing Atlanta a fraction of the price.
The 2021 fourth-round pick was brought to Chi-Town to stabilize the interior of what was one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines in 2024. Javon Hargrave gave him a fit all night long, as one play saw him assist Joe Thuney in doubling Hargrave, which led to Ivan Pace Jr getting a free run at the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.
Drew Dalman is not having a good night. This is only a few of the misses. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/XpekbAwtw0
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) September 9, 2025
Luckily, Caleb escaped from the would-be sack, but Brian Flores’ stout defense gave Dalman a long night—and a Lions pass rush led by Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Reader, and first-round rookie Tyleik Williams could make for another long Sunday in Week 2.
None of this is to suggest Dalman won’t rebound. He’s just 26 years old with years of solid tape, and offensive linemen often need time to adjust to new systems. His career isn’t defined by this catastrophic Monday Night at Soldier Field. but his rocky debut only reinforced the fact that sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make.