Every Chicago Bears fan would admit that they were stunned to hear that their first-time Pro Bowl center, Drew Dalman, was walking away from the game at the age of 27.
The news was about as stunning as it could get, as no one suspected that Dalman would walk away so soon, but understood that it was what was best for him and his family. Bears general manager Ryan Poles reacted quickly by making a trade with the New England Patriots to acquire center Garrett Bradbury.
In his first public comments since the new league year began, Poles spoke with the media and was asked about the Dalman retirement announcement. Poles was honest about his initial thoughts when getting the news.
"(Drew Dalman's) retirement was a little bit of a pop-up on us," Poles said via The Score's Chris Emma. "I want to respect him and his decision, so the reasons why and all that, I’ll let him answer those things at his time. But I’m proud of our organization for adapting and adjusting, which allowed us to bring in (Garrett) Bradbury here to help us continue to solidify our offensive line."
Ryan Poles on Drew Dalman's retirement
The Bears made a solid move to get Dalman's replacement in the building quickly, with Bradbury taking over. Chicago is getting a guy with years of NFL experience who was just coming off a Super Bowl year with the Patriots.
Everyone understands that Bradbury is not at the same level as Dalman, who just had a Pro Bowl selection in 2025, but adding a veteran in there was important. Bradbury may not be the long-term solution, but he is still a great option for 2026, and then figure out the future from there.
Chicago is still in a great spot with the offensive line, as they have All-Pros Joe Thuney and Darnell Wright still there, as well as starting right guard Jonah Jackson. The left tackle position is the one with the most questions, as it appears that, with Ozzy Trapilo out for an extended period due to his injury, it will be Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills Jr., and Theo Benedet battling it out for the starting job in training camp.
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The Bears are entering a transition period on the offensive line, but are still in a great spot to make sure that quarterback Caleb Williams is protected well enough to hold up for the 2026 campaign.