Dalman on Bears not allowing any sacks against Dallas

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 6 hours ago

CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears’ offensive line did something against the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday they had not done in nearly two years - they did not allow a sack. In fact, it marks the first time in quarterback Caleb Williams’ history that he has not been sacked in a game.

This is particularly noteworthy given Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times last season. The Bears spent a lot of money in the offseason to revamp the offensive line, including acquiring guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney via trade and signing free agent center Drew Dalman.

Despite this feat, Dalman said the offensive line is not keeping track of how many sacks they give up. The focus is on the process, not the numbers.

“Good for Caleb, good for us. But, I don’t really feel like we’re chasing things like that. We’re chasing what our standard is and what we can do and so, you could have no sacks, but maybe Caleb bailed us out of a few and so, it could have been better on our end and so, I think that’s how we’ll focus on it,” Dalman said. “Definitely things that we still could have done much better and we will continue to work on those and improve. But, maybe did a better job as a unit handling some of the movement in the games and helping each other so that we’re not all taking a bunch of one-on-one reps out there. So, I think (the) guys did a great job of training and we’ll continue to get better because it definitely wasn’t perfect or up to our standard.”

One area where Williams has shown exceptional growth from his rookie season is the ability to use his legs to create plays, whether finding someone downfield or scrambling to gain yards on the ground. In the season opener, Williams had six scrambles, including a touchdown on the opening drive. Against Dallas, Williams had some designed runs and it would not be surprising to see Chicago lean into this more throughout the season.

Defensively, the Bears' defense stepped up in a huge way against Dallas. In week two, the Cowboys scored 40 points, while Chicago allowed 52 points. However, the defense completely shut down the Cowboys, allowing only 14 points, all of which came in the first half.

During the offseason, the Chicago Bears signed defensive lineman Grady Jarrett. So far, Jarrett has three quarterback hits and four total tackles. For a player who signed a $ 42.75 million contract, typically, you would expect more production. However, it is essential to recognize that part of Jarrett’s salary reflects his leadership role.

From their time together with the Atlanta Falcons, Dalman knows the impact Jarrett can have on a team.

“Like any really good leader, he would never ask anybody to do anything that he’s not willing to do,” Dalman said. “I think everybody sees that that he’s an incredibly hard worker, is dedicated, plays hard and is a well-prepared and knowledgeable player and so when you see a guy that does that, he commands your respect and earns your respect and so, I think when he asks stuff of the team, you (should) be living up to it and so, guys like that, I feel like are great examples for us to follow.”