Bears center retires, Chicago sets up visit with a major FA

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman has retired from the NFL. Dalman, who was named a Pro Bowler in 2025, just signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the team in 2025, after previously playing on his rookie contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Over five NFL seasons, he played in 74 games and made 57 starts.

This is the second major hit that the Bears’ 2026 line has taken over the last couple of months, as starting rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo went down with a torn patellar tendon in the postseason. Chicago may now need to have replacement starters at both left tackle and center going into the early portion of 2026, depending on when Trapilo can return to the field.

The Bears are moving quickly, though, as they have already set up a visit with free agent center Tyler Biadasz, who is able to hit the market before the start of the new league year (March 11th) or the tampering window (March 9th) because he was outright released by the Washington Commanders, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Biadasz, a former University of Wisconsin Badger, has been a slightly above-average starter consistently during his NFL career. It was a bit of a surprise that the Commanders released Biadasz, who wasn’t a big cap casualty candidate on analysts’ lists this offseason.

According to ESPN’s John Keim, who covers the Commanders, Washington’s hangup was Biadasz’s $11 million cap hit, not the $8.3 million in cash he was due in 2026. The Commanders saved just $2.8 million in cap space with the move.

It was an odd move for Washington to make, and it’s not surprising that teams are already lining up visits for the center. The Commanders also created $18.5 million in cap space by releasing former Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who is coming off an ACL tear.

As it stands now, the Commanders rank fifth in the league with $70.3 million in cap space in 2026, which begs the question: “Was moving off Biadasz for $2.8 million in cap space really worth it?”

Biadasz’s trip to Chicago is his first reported visit since hitting the open market.