Jonah Jackson thought his move to the Rams last year would be the start of an amazing chapter of his career.
He had climbed from being a third-round pick to establishing himself as a four-year starter for the Lions at left guard. This was the time to cash in on it in free agency. He was headed to one of the most respected organizations in the NFL and relocating to a dream destination on a three-year, $51 million contract that put his salary among the league’s highest for interior linemen.
He thought he might spend the rest of his career there. That idea fell apart two weeks into the season.
Amid changing positions to center, Jackson fractured a bone in his shoulder and went on injured reserve. When he returned in the middle of the season, the Rams stuck with sixth-round pick Beaux Limmer instead. That was it. He was on the trading block shortly after, opening the door for the Bears to swoop in and get him for a sixth-round pick.
It can be difficult to imagine a bright side when everything is going wrong, but Jackson’s disappointment last season led to what he now considers an ideal situation.
“Being a man and being a starter from Day 1, it hurts your feelings not being able to play and contribute, but it’s only made me better and made me appreciate what I do more,” Jackson told the Sun-Times. “If all that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be here right now. And I feel at home here. I love it here. I’m having a blast. Everything fell in the right place.”
Bears coach Ben Johnson, who was on staff with the Lions for Jackson’s first four seasons, quickly vouched for him. As he and general manager Ryan Poles sought to overhaul a faulty offensive line, they had trades lined up to get Jackson from the Rams and fellow guard Joe Thuney from the Chiefs. Jackson is at right guard this season, and Thuney is at left.
They gave Jackson and Thuney extensions soon after, and by signing former Falcons center Drew Dalman, they completed the renovation and secured that trio for the next three seasons for $145.5 million.
Jackson, 28, played in 61 of 70 games for the Lions, including the playoffs, before his misfortunes with the Rams. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and was a key contributor to the Lions’ turnaround.
Johnson urged the Bears to go after him regardless of what happened last season because “he’s a guy that I believe in,” and he thinks “we’re going to get the best version of him” this season. It also helped to bring in a player who understood his offense.
The reunion was easy to embrace for Jackson, who said, “Being back with Ben is like being with my uncle or my brother. I feel very comfortable here.”
The Bears made offensive-line upgrades a priority after quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times last season. While Williams took responsibility for some of that because of indecisiveness and trying too hard to extend plays, Poles had not invested enough in the line.
The only expensive free agent or high draft pick on the offensive line was right tackle Darnell Wright. Of their starting guards, Teven Jenkins and Matt Pryor are backups elsewhere, and Nate Davis is out of the league.
The only other holdover was left tackle Braxton Jones, who’s on track to start the Sept. 8 opener against the Vikings despite an underwhelming training camp. The Bears drafted Ozzy Trapilo in the second round this year, but it looks increasingly likely that he’ll be coming off the bench.
The Bears’ hope is that redoing the interior line with Jackson, Thuney and Dalman will help their tackles improve. That’s the starting point for everything Johnson is trying to build offensively in Year 1.
