Ryan Poles' Comments on Bears Centers Point to Clear Favorite in Starting Competition

The Chicago Bears will have a competition at center between Garrett Bradbury and Logan Jones, but there is already a clear favorite for the job.

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

One of the positions the Chicago Bears will have competition at in training camp is center, where the team will have a new starter in 2026.

Following the retirement of Drew Dalman during the offseason, the Bears traded for veteran center Garrett Bradbury and drafted Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

During his media availability on Tuesday, Poles heaped praise on Bradbury and noted how valuable his experience is for Caleb Williams and the Bears' offensive line as a whole.

"You have a guy with a ton of NFL experience that just played in the Super Bowl," Poles said of Bradbury. "I think he's one of those glue guys for the offensive line that brings everyone together. He has a ton of knowledge and wisdom on how to play the position, especially with a young quarterback behind him."

Poles is also pleased with what he has seen out of Jones but also noted the challenge the rookie faces in acclimating to the NFL in his first offseason in the league.

He then threw in even more praise for Bradbury.

"Logan's hungry," Poles said. "He's got great football character, strong. From a physical standpoint, he's in a really good place. But obviously as a young center, this game's a lot different at this level. But we expect to get competition there as we go. Really happy with how Bradbury's been."

Garrett Bradbury is the clear front-runner

Based on Poles' comments, there's no question he views Bradbury as the favorite to win the competition against Jones.

And that should not be surprising to anyone. Bradbury's wealth of experience gives him a huge edge, and that's especially true on a win-now team like the Bears that can't afford to go through the inevitable ups and downs a rookie center will deal with.

Communication is especially important and Bradbury's ability in that area has stood out to head coach Ben Johnson during the offseason.

"A guy like Garrett Bradbury impressed Day 1, just with the level of communication that he brings to the table," Johnson said at OTAs. "He's loud, he's demonstrative. I know that he's going to be able to get all five guys on the same page."

All that said, Bradbury isn't an elite center by any stretch and his pass protection has left a lot to be desired in the past, so we wouldn't lock him in as the starter for the entire season.

If Bradbury struggles and Jones can develop to the point that he earns the trust of the coaching staff, the rookie could work his way into a starting role at some point in 2026.