After recovering from the initial shock of Pro Bowl starting center Drew Dalman retiring from the NFL at the age of 27, the Chicago Bears worked quickly to replace him with Garrett Bradbury in a trade with the New England Patriots.
Since arriving in Chicago, Bradbury has been impressed by the welcome and good interaction with his new quarterback, Caleb Williams, and is also excited to be reunited with his former college teammate, Bears All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney. Bradbury spoke very highly of Thuney, calling the Bears' top lineman a "stud," with a truth bomb that the fan base would agree with.
“It blows my mind that two teams have let that guy walk out of the building,” Bradbury said via The Chicago Tribune's Sean Hammond.
Garrett Bradbury stunned that teams moved on from Joe Thuney
Bears general manager Ryan Poles made a surprising trade to acquire Thuney last offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs that only required a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to give up. Obviously, this was the Poles' best move as Thuney was a Pro Bowler, an All-Pro, and won the first-ever NFL Protector of the Year.
No one would argue that Thuney is the best guard and lineman in the NFL after his play last season. He happens to be a part of one of the best offensive lines in the league that includes second-team All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright and right guard Jonah Jackson.
Left tackle and center have some question marks to them with Ozzy Trapilo going to miss significant time in 2026, leaving guys like Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills, and Theo Benedet battling for that left tackle spot. Bradbury appears to be the guy in 2026 at center, but the Bears still need to figure out whether he's the future center of the team or if they need to look in the draft for his eventual replacement, since he's only got one more year on his contract.
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The Bears will most likely get a boost from Bradbury since he's been a long-time starter in the NFL. It also helps that Thuney and Jackson are on each side of him on the offensive line.