Bears Center Competition Between Garrett Bradbury, Logan Jones May Already Be Decided

From an operations standpoint, the Chicago Bears are seeing a seamless transition at center thanks to Garrett Bradbury's communication skills.

Chicago Bears offensive lineman Jaren Kump (L) and Garrett Bradbury (R). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When center Drew Dalman retired, the Chicago Bears had to fill big shoes. So far, it looks like they might have the right man to replace him.

The Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury in the wake of Dalman's retirement, and while the team also drafted Logan Jones in the second round, there has been nothing to indicate the rookie is going to unseat the veteran as the projected starter.

By all accounts, Bradbury has dominated first-team reps at center throughout the offseason and the transition from Dalman to Bradbury has apparently been seamless, at least from an operations standpoint.

Bears tight end Cole Kmet admitted nobody was sure how things would go with a new center, but Kmet added that it has been "flawless" with Bradbury thus far.

"But, I mean, with Garrett, it really has been flawless so far, and I know we haven't had pads on from a physicality standpoint, but you talked about communication in the walkthroughs that we've had, and in practice, things have been really clear, concise, and I feel like when I've been out there, especially in the run game and the pass pro, things have been really clear," he said. "And I think we've had great understanding with one another, so yeah, it's a good unit up front for sure."

Kmet hasn't been the only one to point out Bradbury's strength as a communicator.

Head coach Ben Johnson lauded the veteran for that during OTAs, and before practice on Monday, Johnson called Bradbury's communication skills "elite."

"He's extremely impressive," Johnson said of Bradbury. "We're cooking right now with him out there.

Bradbury's experience is a huge factor in his communication skills, and it's the biggest reason why he has always been viewed as the favorite to win the starting center job over Jones. After one week of training camp, nothing has changed on that front.

Can Bradbury keep the job all season?

Chicago Bears offensive lineman Logan Jones. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The question is: can Bradbury keep Jones at bay for the entire season?

While Bradbury isn't a bad player, he isn't invulnerable, either.

The veteran had a strong showing in pass protection in 2025, but that has typically been his weakness, with Bradbury posting Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades under 50 in four of seven seasons. He is also coming off his lowest-graded season as a run-blocker after posting a 56.2 mark in that area.

Communication is a vital part of the job, no doubt, and Bradbury is seemingly doing a great job picking up where Dalman left off. But Bradbury also has to play at the level Dalman did and the jury is still out on whether or not he'll be able to do that.

If Bradbury can't, we might not have to wait a full season to see Jones under center.