In just over one month, the NFL’s 2026 regular season will kick off. With so little time until the real games begin, key roster decisions and position battles are playing out in real time.
One former Iowa football standout is in the midst of an important position battle in the Windy City. The Chicago Bears drafted Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The decision came after an abrupt retirement from starting center Drew Dalman in March.
The Bears brought in the Rimington Trophy award winner to compete and ideally win the starting center spot. But, head coach Ben Johnson is going to make Jones earn it. Jones is battling with veteran Garrett Bradbury for the starting spot in camp and that position battle is drawing national attention.
CBS Sports featured Jones among 10 NFL rookies that are seriously battling for starting spots across NFL training camps
“Drew Dalman abruptly retired this offseason after signing a lucrative free agent contract the prior offseason. At the time of his departure, the Bears did not know if they would be able to secure their desired target in the draft, so it was important for them to have a contingency plan in place. The Ravens, for example, intended to draft a center on Day 2, but were left empty-handed at the end of the weekend. One of those centers coveted by Baltimore was Jones, who is now competing with Bradbury for the right to hand off footballs to Caleb Williams.” -Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Jones is looking to join fellow Hawkeye Tyler Linderbaum as a starting center in the NFL. He’s more than talented enough to do so. He’ll have to prove himself to Johnson and the Bears’ coaching staff in training camp and throughout preseason action.
The Bears open up their preseason slate Saturday, Aug. 15 against the Cleveland Browns. Iowa fans can watch Jones when the game kicks off at noon CT on NFL Network.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football star among CBS’ NFL rookies competing for starting spots
Reporting by Zach Hiney, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Hiney, Hawkeyes Wire | USA TODAY Network
