The Chicago Bears enter the 2022 NFL offseason with a new head coach, a new general manager, and a young quarterback that is hoping to take the same second-year leap that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes all experienced. With Matt Eberflus running the defense and Luke Getsy coming over from the Green Bay Packers to call the offensive plays, it seems that Chicago is on the right track as they attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since Cody Parkey eliminated them with a missed chip-shot field goal in the 2019 NFL playoffs.

The Bears have a few holes on the roster at cornerback and possibly receiver and defensive tackle if they do not re-sign impending free agents Allen Robinson and Akiem Hicks. It will be the protection for second-year quarterback Justin Fields that is of the utmost importance this offseason, though, and most Bears fans have already come to grips with this. It may not be a flashy offseason, but it will be a necessary one in Chicago's return to relevancy. With that being said, the biggest need the Bears must address in the 2022 NFL offseason is…

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The biggest need the Bears must address in the 2022 NFL offseason

Interior offensive line

The Bears had an inspiring story in center Sam Mustipher a couple of years ago, but in 2021 he was exposed as the worst player on Chicago's offense and possibly the worst center in the league. While we are not outright calling for the benching of Mustipher, he at a minimum needs to be moved to the guard position and have the players around him upgraded. As the unquestioned starter in 2021, Mustipher graded out negatively in every aspect of the Pro Football Focus (PFF), offensive line ratings. While the Bears do not figure to be major players in free agency, they would be a perfect landing spot for center Ryan Jensen.

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The good thing for the Bears, if they fail to get a center in free agency is that this might be the best interior offensive lineman draft in the past decade, with double-digit players from the guard and center players expected to be drafted in the first three rounds. The Bears don't have a first-round pick this year so Tyler Linderbaum of the Iowa Hawkeyes might be out of their reach, he is the best center in the draft and is expected to be a top-15 pick. Kenyon Green of the Texas A&M Aggies and Ikem Ekwonu of the NC State Wolfpack are the best available guards, but they too are likely to be first-round picks.

So, how are the Bears going to fix the interior offensive line if they cannot draft any of the best players? Well, it boils down to just two simple words…patience and scouting. The Bears will need to depend on both as they sift through the draft to find the best available players. If the Bears do end up drafting an interior offensive lineman with their second-round pick, look for Jarrett Patterson of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ricky Stromberg of the Arkansas Razorbacks as potential additions to Fields protection.