The Mac & Read Show: Drew Dalman Retires?! And other Bears nuggets!

March 4, 2026·44 min·3 clips

Bears center Drew Dalman, a 27-year-old Pro Bowler, suddenly retires, leaving Chicago scrambling to fill a critical hole.

The Bears offseason conversation starts up front. Evan Mac and Ross Reed work from a pretty simple tension: the Bears need pass-rush help, but the bill matters. Big names are fun, and Max Crosby is the obvious fantasy swing. Bears fans have seen that kind of move before because the Khalil Mack trade still hangs around every big defensive-line conversation. The catch is the cost. The hosts treat Crosby as tempting, then slow down once the first-round pick enters the picture. Jaylen Phillips sounds more reachable. He is talked about as a big defender who can chase the football and pressure the passer without forcing the Bears into the most expensive corner of the market. Trey Henderson comes up too, though with more doubt attached. Phillips gets the more serious free-agency treatment. The draft still has a job to do. The Bears can look for pass-rush help, add to the defensive line, and use the combine process to sort through interior options. Nose tackle becomes part of the bigger roster math. This is less about landing one headline name and more about building a front that does not leave another spot exposed. Caleb Williams' future contract sits in the background. If he becomes expensive, the Bears need to think now about how much room they want later. Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Joe Burrow come up as examples of what happens when quarterback money starts squeezing the roster. Around the football talk, the show still has its usual local bounce: plugs, jokes, movie bits, music tangents, and a turn toward free agency and the draft. The spine stays practical. Can the Bears improve the rush without letting one expensive move swallow the rest of the build?

As heard by us

A grounded Bears offseason debate that keeps tying big-name targets back to real roster math.

The piece follows a Bears offseason discussion as it moves from retirement news into the roster questions that really drive the conversation: whether a Maxx Crosby swing is realistic, why Jaylen Phillips keeps surfacing, and how the quarterback bill should shape every other…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the Bears' pass-rush plan, not another loud offseason guess on radio.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from 2nd City Gridiron