The Chicago Bears lost center Drew Dalman to retirement this week following his Pro Bowl season in 2025. It was a brutal blow to an offensive line that looked like it had finally found stability. Now, Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johns would have to find a replacement. Over the past couple of days, it sounded like they were preparing to make a run at the top centers in free agency, like Tyler Linderbaum, Connor McGovern, and Lloyd Cushenberry. Then, in a duplication of last season, they struck out of nowhere on the trade market. This time their target was Garrett Bradbury, the former Minnesota Vikings 1st round pick who’d spent last season in New England.
Many were surprised by this move. Giving up a future 5th round pick for a 30-year-old player, many felt was mediocre at best. However, there are always layers to a decision. Bradbury is experienced, which was a major factor in the move. Johnson has said he wants somebody who can handle the calls up front and take things off Caleb Williams’ plate. For another, he’s a good athlete who plays his best in an outside-zone scheme, which the Bears run. Last but not least, he was a college teammate of Joe Thuney at NC State. That familiarity would make incorporating him much smoother.
Garrett Bradbury is a discount Dalman.
Most just assume Bradbury is the worst center in the league. That is not true. He’s not the best, but he was more than adequate enough to help the Patriots reach the Super Bowl. In fact, he was better in the pass protection department compared to Dalman, allowing fewer sacks and pressures. The issue was run-blocking. Bradbury struggled there, but then again, so did the entire Patriots offensive line. Their system has never been known for strong rushing results. Playing under Johnson could change that.
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| Metric | Drew Dalman (CHI) | Garrett Bradbury (NE) |
|---|---|---|
| Games Started | 17 | 17 |
| Total Pressures Allowed | 31 | 20 |
| Sacks Allowed | 1 | 0 |
| QB Hits Allowed | 3 | 4 |
| Penalties | 3 | 0 |
| Offensive Snaps | 1,154 | 1,070 |
The biggest selling point is the money. Chicago was paying Dalman $14 million per year on his contract. Bradbury will only cost $6.9 million this season. That means they have a chance to get play relatively equivalent to Dalman for half the price. If nothing else, that is smart business. It gives the Bears stability in the middle and allows them to retain $7 million in cap space to possibly move to another position on the roster that needs help. It’s all about playing the chess game.
The Bears’ plan is coming into focus.
This decision was likely made with two things in mind. Chicago wanted a temporary stopgap in the middle that didn’t cost too much. This would allow them to allocate their limited money to more pressing positions. Remember, they have holes at left tackle, defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker, and safety. It would’ve been difficult to fill all of those if they’d thrown $22 million at Linderbaum. Bradbury buys them time to settle other areas until they can revisit it next year.
The likeliest next step is adding a young body to the mix in the draft, likely in the 3rd or 4th rounds. That, or they want to continue grooming former 6th-round pick Luke Newman for the job. Either option seems reasonable. It helps avoid thrusting an inexperienced player into the mix immediately and allows them to focus on more premium positions in the early rounds. It will be interesting to see where the Bears move that extra money to in free agency next week.
Garrett Bradbury isn’t a flashy addition, but it’s not hard to see the plan.
