Two positions on the Chicago Bears‘ offensive line were up for grabs when training camp began last week. The most obvious was left tackle. With Ozzy Trapilo working his way back from a knee injury, it has been a battle royale between Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills, Theo Benedet, and Kiran Amegadjie. However, of equal importance was the showdown at center between Garrett Bradbury and Logan Jones. The veteran trade acquisition arrived in March, coming on the heels of Drew Dalman’s abrupt retirement at age 27. Jones followed in the 2nd round of the draft, bringing that classic Iowa pedigree.
It was your classic case of experience vs. upside. The Bears would not declare a starter, believing competition is the best way to determine who gets the job. So the two men came into came on equal footing. Though still early, tight end Cole Kmet made it sound like there is a clear leader at the moment.
“Well, I think we were all a little, you know, you don’t know how it’s going to go, especially when you lose somebody like Drew. Who’s, you know, kind of that captain of the offensive line there, communication-wise. 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 talk about communication and 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.”
Sure enough, Bradbury’s experience has served him well. He’s picking up the offense quickly enough, no doubt aided by having played in several different systems throughout his career. However, he’s also been helped by Jones going through early struggles with shotgun snaps.
Garrett Bradbury won’t give Jones any easy chances.
This is a man who is a former 1st round pick and just got done playing the Super Bowl. While Bradbury has never been one of the top centers in football, he has started 105 career games. You don’t do that while being a bum. The guy is a solid NFL player. That means Jones cannot expect him to make glaring mistakes too often. If the rookie wants to stay in this battle, he must learn consistency and show the coaches that he is reliable. Being younger gives him an opportunity. That can show up more when the pads go on this Tuesday.
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While head coach Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar will be watching all facets of the competition, you can rest assured that it will come down to pass protection. Keeping defenders out of Caleb Williams’ face is the top priority. For all of his experience, Garrett Bradbury has never been a stellar pass protector. He allowed 29 pressures on the quarterback last season, which was bottom five among centers who played at least 50% of the total snaps in 2026. If Jones can fight back anywhere, it will be there.
That first preseason game will say a lot.
For one, it will be the actual first game-like experience both men have in this offense. The Bears will want to see which of them handles it better. However, the team may also tip their hand on who the frontrunner is by who starts. If it’s Bradbury and he ends up only playing one or two series, that will be a dead giveaway. If a roster battle is close, teams almost always have players split reps in the first game. This is why Jones can’t afford to waste any time. Every waking moment must be spent in the playbook and ironing out the snapping issues.
Chicago opens the preseason on August 15th against the Cleveland Browns. That gives the rookie less than two weeks to make the battle competitive. Bradbury is polished enough at this point to avoid glaring mistakes. He understands how to communicate. Teammates can already see his value just a few practices in. For Jones to shift the tides, he’ll have to stack strong practices over the next 12 days.
