It’s been a roller coaster of an offseason for the Bears and their center position on the depth chart. After the NFC Divisional Round loss to the Rams, Chicago’s offensive line appeared to have its center for the foreseeable future in Drew Dalman. But then, on March 3, Dalman shocked the football world by announcing his retirement at age 27 and just one year into a three-year, $42 million contract.
All of a sudden, one of the surest positions on the offense became arguably its biggest question mark.
Bears GM Ryan Poles and Head Coach Ben Johnson chose to fill the need in the middle of the offensive line with a few different options. First, shortly after Dalman’s retirement, the Bears traded a fifth-round pick to the Patriots for veteran center Garrett Bradbury. While Bradbury had his flaws, he anchored the Patriots’ offensive line on their way to a Super Bowl appearance, had started several seasons in Minnesota prior, and was a college teammate of Bears guard Joe Thuney.
In addition to the Bradbury trade, Chicago’s front office drafted Logan Jones out of Iowa in the second round of the NFL Draft. Jones, taken with the 57th overall pick, was projected to be a third-round selection. However, Poles and Johnson liked him enough to grab him early rather than risk losing their top center target in the draft.
Entering camp, Garrett Bradbury always seemed to be the frontrunner to win the starting job in the middle of the Bears’ offensive line. While it’s still early, it looks as if Bradbury is standing out for all the right reasons and proving why he was expected to win the job. Ben Johnson had this to say about the Bears’ veteran center:
“He’s extremely impressive…we’re cooking right now with him out there.”
More from the Bears’ head coach on the veteran center below via CHGO:
“He’s extremely impressive…we’re cooking right now with him out there.”Ben Johnson on Garrett Bradbury?: pic.twitter.com/gLGiwbW9rn
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) August 3, 2026Garrett Bradbury Looks Like The Bears’ Starting Center As Of Now
To be fair, I think Garrett Bradbury leading the center position battle says more about him than it does Logan Jones.
It’s not like we’re seeing a whole lot of Logan Jones struggling, but more so Bradbury thriving. And that’s to be expected. He’s been a starting center in the NFL for the past seven seasons, and has been so in two very successful, detailed offenses run by Kevin O’Connell and Josh McDaniels, respectively. While Iowa offensive linemen are about as NFL-ready as any from any other college football program, Jones is still significantly less experienced at this level than Bradbury.
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We saw last year just how important a center is in Ben Johnson’s offense, and he’s said as much. Obviously, a high level of play is important. But as important as a high level of communication is, so is the ability to be the quarterback of the offensive line. While I think it’s ideal that at some point this season or next year Jones becomes the starter, the fact that we’re hearing such high praise for Bradbury is a very positive development.
It means that instead of forcing Jones into a starting role too early or having a revolving door at center, the Bears appear to have found their perfect transitional starting center. It’s doubtful that Garrett Bradbury is the center of the future, especially as he enters his age-31 season. But his ability to step in and create little to no drop-off after Drew Dalman’s surprise departure is a HUGE development for this offense. Especially considering the left tackle position is still a question mark.
Logan Jones (54) runs on the field during Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesIn addition to providing stability for the whole offensive line, I think Bradbury winning the job would also ease some of the extra responsibility on Joe Thuney. Thuney is the best guard in football. At age 33, he’s still playing at an elite level. With Bradbury’s communication and ability to call out protections, that likely limits any extra responsibility that might have fallen on Thuney’s plate had the rookie won the job.
Again, I do hope at some point this season or by next camp we’re talking about Logan Jones taking the job and running with it. But this team took the slower route with Ozzy Trapilo last year, and it worked out pretty darn well before his injury in the playoffs that will sideline him for most of the season. Having a veteran elite communicator as the starting center now allows Jones to learn from a strong predecessor rather than being thrown into the job before he’s ready.
Having said all that, it’s a long camp, and who knows, maybe Jones takes off like a rocket ship. If he goes and earns that job, that would be an awesome development and mean the Bears have a really good one on their hands. And if he doesn’t, and we’re not hearing that he’s overwhelmed or struggling, it might just mean he will have the privilege of learning from a smart veteran, which can make him even better whenever he does take the reins.
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