When the Chicago Bears learned that 2025 starting center Drew Dalman was unexpectedly retiring prior to free agency, the team worked quickly to find a suitable replacement by acquiring Garrett Bradbury from the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick. The move was viewed as a temporary solution, as Bradbury had just one year left on his contract and will only cost $4.7 million against the cap this season, down from $5.7 million after the team restructured his deal on Thursday.
That perception became reality during the draft as Chicago selected center Logan Jones out of Iowa with the No. 57 overall pick. Jones, a four-year starter, is expected to become the team’s next starting center at some point, whether it’s later this season over Bradbury or beginning in 2027.
With Jones’ experience and other teams like the Baltimore Ravens publicly saying they don’t have an answer for the center position, many are connecting the dots that Chicago could send them Bradbury for a late-round pick before he ever snaps the ball as a member of the Bears. That shouldn’t happen, and it won’t happen.
The Bears acquired Bradbury in part due to his experience with different types of quarterbacks and for how he can solidify an offensive line.
“We felt like the best thing for us to do was to make that trade with a veteran center that’s played with a young quarterback before, that’s very good with his communication, smart, been in different systems,” Poles said in March via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “We feel like he can plug in and have command of that O-line.”
The front office likes the idea of pairing a veteran with quarterback Caleb Williams to start out. With how complicated head coach Ben Johnson’s offense can be, they aren’t going to rush Jones out there, even with his 50 starts in college.
Starting rookies out of the gate isn’t something Johnson seems keen on doing. Last season, the Bears got plenty out of their rookie draft class, with players such as tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, tackle Ozzy Trapilo, and running back Kyle Monangai all becoming key contributors as the season went on.
But all of them were eased in. Loveland, Burden, and Monangai didn’t become focal points until midseason, while Trapilo was a healthy scratch despite being a second-round pick. Johnson leaned on the veterans early on until the rookies showed they were ready. And with a position as important as center, they’re not going to rush Jones when they know Bradbury can get the job done.
The timing for a trade doesn’t make sense, either. Jones is just now practicing as part of rookie mini camp and has yet to formally work with Williams or any of the starting offensive linemen. Jones is talented and should become a dependable center at some point, but why push your chips in all the way before he shows what he can do at the NFL level?
Five years ago, former general manager Ryan Pace did just that when he cut left tackle Charles Leno Jr. just days after trading up to select Teven Jenkins in the 2021 NFL Draft. Jenkins wound up missing most of his rookie season with a back injury, and the Bears were forced to scramble to find a replacement just weeks before the regular season began.
If the Bears get through training camp and it becomes abundantly clear that Jones has overtaken Bradbury after the final preseason game, then a trade could make sense if there’s a team willing to offer enough compensation. But the coaching staff needs to see both players compete day in and day out first before making any definitive decisions. Bradbury isn’t going anywhere yet, and that is the correct move for the Bears.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears shouldn’t rush to trade Garrett Bradbury
Reporting by Brendan Sugrue, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
