One of the biggest concerns entering Chicago Bears training camp was how the center position would look after Drew Dalman left.
The Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury early in the offseason after Dalman's shocking retirement news. Chicago also selected Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, opening up a possible position battle.
Bradbury ended those talks quickly in training camp, earning everyone's trust early on. That continues to be the trend for him, as the Bears prepare for their Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Garrett Bradbury has made a strong first impression on Bears early on
Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor spoke with the media and was asked about Bradbury early in his tenure with the team. Taylor has been impressed with Bradbury, and the franchise is standing behind him.
"I think Garrett has earned a lot of trust coming in here, and the way he's commanded the huddle, the way he's commanded the line of scrimmage, our communication aspect, the way he does things," Taylor said via CHGO. "He's very loud, very vocal, very confident. But also very intelligent. He does a really good job of how we want to do it. There's a lot of conversation that goes on. I mean, we spend walkthrough, we pause walkthrough, we huddle up, and it's Dan, Caleb, Ben, all those guys, Garrett, all in there having a conversation about how we're going to ID certain things because it changes if they do this versus that. And so he's earned a lot of trust and a lot of respect from a lot of the guys, the coaches and players as well, with what he's done in the last six, seven months that we've had him."
Bradbury had a successful season with the New England Patriots last year, leading to a Super Bowl appearance. He allowed 20 pressures and four quarterback hits in 642 pass-blocking snaps.
Pro Football Focus graded him at 60.1, ranking him 30th out of 40 centers last year. He had a pass-blocking grade of 63.1 and a run-blocking grade of 56.2.
In head coach Ben Johnson's complex offense, it makes more sense for Bradbury to start at center over Jones. This will serve as a redshirt year for Jones to learn how to be an NFL center before taking over the job in 2027. Bradbury has proven to be a reliable starter over the years with the Patriots and Minnesota Vikings.
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It appears as though everyone within the Bears trusts Bradbury to be the guy at center. Watching how he develops in the role will be fascinating throughout the 2026 season.
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