LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears were hellbent on fixing their offensive line, with the cap space to spend big on some of the top targets set to hit unrestricted free agency.

Will Fries was out there. Mekhi Becton, too, and other top talents even after the Chiefs hit Trey Smith with a franchise tag.

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General manager Ryan Poles went about adding guards in a different way. He hit the trade market. Hard.

The Rams allowed Jonah Jackson to seek a trade and Chicago jumped at the opportunity to reunite him with head coach Ben Johnson after working together in Detroit. Joe Thuney was deemed expendable due to his salary and the financial demands placed on the Chiefs. Just a day after acquiring Jackson, Poles struck a deal to get a two-time All-Pro.

And, due to the Bears taking on significant salaries, they didn’t have to give much draft capital up. Call that a coup orchestrated before free agency even began.

And, after seeing the Fries deal and what Smith will get paid with a long-term deal or the franchise tag, the Bears actually saved some money despite drawing top talent for more than a few pretty pennies.

“You just have to stay open minded, because what we don’t talk about enough is that, just because free agency opens up and it looks a certain way, you don’t know if there’s a connection, that player may want to go somewhere else, so it may not even come down to money,” Poles said in a Wednesday press conference. “It may be the fit for the player. So, there’s no guarantees just because the board is lined up, and you have money to make it happen.

“You got to really cast a wide net and be opportunistic and see when opportunities pop up: you know, this is the best thing for us. You do anticipate things like that, but at the same time, it was just about acquiring the best players that we can.”

It helps to have connections. Johnson knew Jackson from their time in Detroit. Poles was with Kansas City when they signed Thuney in free agency and watched him work on and off the field. Those experiences provide confidence for Chicago to make such moves, maybe more so than paying exorbitant amounts on players you don’t know as well.

Despite some hiccups in 2024, Johnson considers Jackson a “Pro Bowl caliber guard.” Poles knows Thuney provide excellent interior play and the leadership skill that comes from winning four Super Bowls.

Poles also kept his ear to the ground at the NFL Scouting Combine and knew these guys might become available. That changed the Bears outlook on how they could improve the guard spot.

“Yeah, you do research,” Poles said. “Each team has their own situation. Some teams got to make moves to change it up on the roster and to kind of clear space. And you’re aware of those, you’re not sure how they’re going to play out, there’s a lot of different ways to manipulate and change things up to fit. But in this case, it was unexpected. So obviously, when I heard their names, we wanted to work immediately.”

The got to work quickly, secured the linemen they were looking for and turned a weakness into a real strength before free agency even began.