The Green Bay Packers have a pressing starting center issue that they need to address on their offensive line this offseason.
Does Green Bay keep Elgton Jenkins and risk losing Sean Rhyan, who is set to become a free agent? Or do the Packers cut ties with Jenkins and re-sign Rhyan to make him their starting center in 2026?
Then there’s also a ton of free agent center options, including Tyler Linderbaum, who could pique the interest of Green Bay. Green Bay will need to have a plan in place soon after the Bears lost their starting center on Tuesday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman "informed the team that he’s retiring from the NFL" after playing five seasons. Dalman just signed a three-year, $42 million contract in free agency last offseason, as he helped transform their offensive line.
Now, without him, the Bears have to quickly pivot to find a starting option, which screw up what the Packers do this offseason.
Packers’ Offseason Plans Just Changed with Drew Dalman’s Retirement
As of right now, the Bears aren’t linked to Rhyan, who also has the versatility to play guard. But Chicago is already searching the free-agent center market, which could put the Packers behind the proverbial eight-ball if they don’t have plans to re-sign Rhyan.
On Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Chicago is hosting Tyler Biadasz for a visit after he was released on Monday. In addition to Biadasz, the Bears have reportedly "sniffed around" Linderbaum, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
The Bears are clearly going on the offensive to fill this void, while the Packers haven’t indicated their plans as of yet.
Linderbaum is expected to get a significant pay raise in free agency, which likely eliminates the Packers, who are currently $5 million over the cap, per OverTheCap. However, Biadasz could be an option for Green Bay, considering that his market value is a two-year, $20.2 million deal ($10.1M AAV).
But for the Packers to add Biadasz, they would likely have to cut or trade Rashan Gary to create space and hope that no other team outside of the Bears throws their hat into the ring. He would also be an upgrade (71.2 run blocking grade and 67.1 pass blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus) over Rhyan.
Speaking of Rhyan, he would be cheaper (three-year, $19.6 million) than Biadasz and Linderbaum. According to PFF, Rhyan had a 66.7 pass-blocking grade, but a terrible 38.5 run-blocking grade.
Depending on how the market shakes out, Green Bay should be open to re-signing Rhyan if the price is right. And then try their hand in the NFL draft, where they could be competing with the Bears for a potential starting option.
Nonetheless, it shall be interesting to see how everything plays out with the Bears’ new center vacancy and how the Packers approach their starting center. It was obviously a pressing need going into free agency, but now it has to be at the top of the list with the Bears already applying pressure after Dalman’s retirement.