Chicago Bears fans were completely caught off guard when Pro Bowler Drew Dalman quietly retired from the NFL, but the team acted quickly to get some good replacements for him.
The Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury as a short-term solution, while selecting Logan Jones in the second round as the long-term choice at center. Bleacher Report writer Moe Moton thinks things could be moving quicker than that, predicting Bradbury as the Bears' biggest bust in 2026 and throwing Jones into the fire.
"Don't be surprised if the Bears bench Bradbury for Jones at some point in the upcoming campaign because of the veteran's pass-protection issues. According to Pro Football Focus, Bradbury didn't surrender a sack but allowed 20 pressures over 642 pass-blocking snaps last season.
The Chicago Tribune's Sean Hammond believes Jones is the Bears' future at center. Well, the future at the position may play earlier than expected if Bradbury struggles to protect franchise quarterback Caleb Williams."
Logan Jones might end up starting in 2026 after all if prediction is true
Bears fans wouldn't complain too much if that is the case. It would be deja vu for them after watching Ozzy Trapilo step in at left tackle for Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet last year as a rookie, and that ended up being a great decision by head coach Ben Johnson.
Bradbury isn't all that great a starter, as the best way to describe him is "average." Pro Football Focus gave him a 60.1 grade, ranking 30th out of 40 centers in the NFL as the New England Patriots starter last year, including a poor run-blocking grade of 56.2, ranking 35th.
Logan Jones, on the other hand, has a lot of upside from his time at Iowa. PFF gave him the 10th-best grade in the nation among centers with a 79, finishing the year with three pressures and one sack allowed in 311 pass-blocking snaps and committing zero penalties in 704 snaps. He was a two-time first-team Big Ten selection, a unanimous All-American selection in 2025, and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center last year.
The NFL Combine also showcased what Jones can do, posting the fastest 40-yard time among all offensive linemen at 4.90 seconds. After that combine, he was considered to be the best center in the draft and one of the top offensive linemen.
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Bradbury feels like he should be a lock to start to start the season, but in reality, he is not a lock to hold on to his job. Jones seems ready to take over if he is needed.
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