The Chicago Bears are now down a free agency option after right guard Trey Smith was franchise-tagged by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs now give themself some more time to negotiate a long-term deal with Smith while also keeping him from testing the open market.

Smith earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2024 and tied the NFL lead in the most pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack this season. The Chiefs have made it well known that they are all about protecting Mahomes, and that means that they'll be keeping their line intact.

That's bad news for the Bears, who are one of the teams looking for help on their offensive line, and Smith was possibly going to be one of their top options. There are still a few players that the Bears could look at and would be solid to add to their line to help protect Caleb Williams.

Who could the Bears target in free agency to improve their OL?

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The Bears are coming into the season with a new coaching staff and new energy, and the first thing they should want to do is help Caleb Williams. With Ben Johnson being an offensive-minded coach, it makes perfect sense why they may go that route, and fixing the offensive line could be the first step. One player that the Bears could sign is right guard Will Fries, who played for the Indianapolis Colts and is a free agent.

Fries' season ended on quick notice after he suffered a tibia injury in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Before the injury, he ranked fourth in run-blocking and 10th in pass-blocking, according to PFF. Those are good rankings for Fries, and the Bears should be interested in somebody like that who can do it in the run and pass game. There's a good chance that other teams will be looking to sign Fries, so the Bears may have to get into a bidding war. If they think he's the guy who can change their line, they should be trying to throw a bag at him.

Another option that the Bears could look into is Kevin Zeitler from the Detroit Lions. This could be a reunion for Johnson and Zeitler, and he'd know what to do as soon as he joins the team due to his familiarity with the system. The Bears could end up giving Zeitler a good offer as a free agent, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he left the Lions.