Eric DeCosta admits the Chicago Bears stole his top Tyler Linderbaum replacement

The Chicago Bears faced one of the most unexpected and impactful roster changes this offseason when Drew Dalman announced his shocking retirement at the young age of 27. Just when it looked like they had figured out a winning combination for the offensive line, featuring not only a Pro Bowl center but also the first winner of the NFL Protector of the Year award, the Bears found themselves needing a center.

Yes, they traded for the Patriots' Garrett Bradbury, but that was never more than a stopgap measure. Bradbury had finished as one of the worst centers in the NFL for the last three years, and the Bears couldn't afford to enter the 2026 season without a real competition for the starting job. They did exactly that when they selected Logan Jones with a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the first center off the board.

Some fans and analysts lambasted this pick, calling it a reach and lamenting that the Bears passed on potentially adding a pass rusher, arguably the team's biggest need, with the No. 57 pick. There's some truth to that, but a recent revelation from one NFL general manager may have proven that Ryan Poles was right to draft Jones when he did.

Ryan Poles played the draft board perfectly in 2026

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta appeared on The Lounge podcast this week with hosts Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing. In response to questions from fans and analysts as to why he didn't draft a center to replace Tyler Linderbaum, who signed a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, DeCosta may have vindicated Ryan Poles' process. "Unfortunately, it just didn't really work the way that we maybe were hoping it would work," DeCosta said.

"There were two guys that we really liked a lot... Logan Jones and Jake Slaughter," DeCosta continued. "We thought both those guys were really, really outstanding players who could really help us. Almost immediately, come in and help us... We thought there was a pretty darn good chance that we would have gotten one of those guys in the third [round]. I never really contemplated both guys getting picked after we picked Zion [Young in the second round] and before the start of the third round... But I think that the Bears and Chargers got good players when they did."

#Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team’s top two centers were Logan Jones (Bears, No. 57) and Jake Slaughter (Chargers, No. 63) and they didn’t expect both to go in Round 2.

This is good context on why the Ravens didn’t draft a center despite it being a major need.

(📽️ @Ravens) https://t.co/I0pzfmVgnB pic.twitter.com/f4WylYBD12
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 30, 2026

It's understandable why DeCosta opted for Young over Jones with his second-round pick. At No. 45 overall, that would have been a massive reach for a center. Meanwhile, Young plays a premium position and one that was another big need for Baltimore. However, he was hoping to see either Jones or Jake Slaughter slip into the third round, and he was even contemplating a trade-up if they were still available when the third round began, but we know that didn't happen.

What does this tell us about Ryan Poles' draft? He caught some heat in the media for selecting a center when there were still some quality pass rushers on the board, and the pass rush remains Chicago's biggest need. However, DeCosta's comments vindicate Poles' process and how he went about things. Jones would likely not have been available after trading back from No. 60 to No. 79, and Slaughter went to the Chargers at No. 63.

Had Poles not selected Jones at No. 57, the Bears would be heading into training camp with a massive hole in the middle of their offensive line. In what is shaping up to be a pivotal year for both the Bears as a franchise and quarterback Caleb Williams as a player, that would have been an untenable situation. Now, however, the Bears have their potential franchise center on a rookie deal.

The Bottom Line

The defensive line is still one of the Bears' biggest remaining needs after the draft. Barring significant development from pretty much every starter, it's likely to once again be among the league's worst defensive lines. But to be perfectly frank, the Bears can afford another year of subpar defensive play. What they cannot afford is a year of regression for Williams and the offense.

Was it a bit of a reach to select Jones at No. 57? Maybe. However, he was clearly a highly regarded prospect and would not have been available at the Bears' third-round pick. Poles filled a glaring need with the best prospect at his position, and that's all you can ask for in a general manager.

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