The Chicago Bears have one job this offseason: improve the offensive line in front of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.

The fastest way GM Ryan Poles can accomplish that goal is to sign instant veteran starters in free agency. Sure, the football purist would prefer the Bears to build through the NFL Draft, but with as many as four starting offensive line positions up for grabs this season, Chicago has to add plug-and-play veterans to the lineup.

Bears fans certainly hope Poles will swing big in free agency to fix the offensive line, and the biggest home run he can hit this offseason is signing Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith, who’s expected to hit the open market, according to multiple NFL insider reports.

Smith signing with the Bears is a transaction that makes so much sense that it would be a shock if it doesn’t happen. In fact, Pro Football Focus recently published a wish list of four free agency signings they’d love to see, and Smith to Chicago was among them.

“If the new-look Bears wanted to put the NFC North on notice, securing the top offensive lineman in this free-agent cycle would certainly do that,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote. “Trey Smith has been the model of health and consistency on the interior. Over his first four seasons, he has never fallen below a 72.0 single-season PFF overall grade while playing more than 1,200 snaps each year. In 2024, Smith continued to polish his pass protection, earning career-best marks in pressures allowed (40) and pass-blocking efficiency rating.”

It’s one thing to want Trey Smith to sign with the Chicago Bears; it’s another for Trey Smith to actually sign with the Chicago Bears.

Remember: the Bears aren’t the only team with a high-profile second-year quarterback who needs reinforcements along the offensive line. As Bears on SI’s Gene Chamberlin noted, the New England Patriots will be hot to trot for Smith as well, and they have a lot more money than the Bears to throw his way.

“The Patriots rule the roost and have to be considered favorites to land a mobile big man who blocks with real ferocity,” Chamberlin wrote. “The Titans have the home-field farm advantage and maybe they’re second.”

When push comes to shove, whether the Chicago Bears sign Trey Smith will come down to how aggressive Ryan Poles is in his quest to put Smith’s pen to paper. While it’s true that the Bears don’t have as much money as New England, it’s also accurate to suggest Chicago’s roster doesn’t have as many needs as the Patriots.

With fewer holes to fill, Poles can allocate a bigger slice of the Bears’ salary cap space to Smith. The Patriots won’t have that luxury (check out their wide receiver room, for example. Spoiler: it’s terrible).

As always, money will be the deciding factor in who lands Smith, and if the Bears fail to bring him to Chicago, it’ll only be because of their unwillingness to set a new market value at guard.

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bears from Chicago Bears on SI  —