The Bears chose center Drew Dalman as their nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The NFL announced one candidate from each team Wednesday.
Dalman, 27, was a major free-agent acquisition for the Bears and has been key to turning around their offensive line. They’ve gone from having one of the worst offensive lines in the league to Pro Football Focus consistently ranking them in the top 10.
Dalman also is the only Bears player to play every snap on his side of the ball this season.
Around the NFC North, the Packers nominated quarterback Jordan Love, the Lions chose linebacker Derrick Barnes and the Vikings selected right tackle Brian O’Neill. Former Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack, now with the Chargers, also is a candidate.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen won the award last season and is nominated again.
The Bears nominated running back D’Andre Swift last season, linebacker T.J. Edwards in 2023, special teamer DeAndre Houston-Carson in ’22 and linebacker Roquan Smith in ’21. They have yet to see a player win the award, which began in 2014.