The Chicago Bears made an unexpected pivot during the 2nd round of the 2026 draft. While many thought they’d continue adding to the defense after snagging Dillon Thieneman in the 1st round. However, general manager Ryan Poles pulled a swerve when he went with Iowa center Logan Jones. It wasn’t a secret that the Bears needed a long-term option at center with Garrett Bradbury in the final year of his deal. Head coach Ben Johnson loved the guy, so the team made the move. One person not happy about it was Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta.
He revealed on the team’s podcast that they really liked two centers in the draft. One was Florida’s Jake Slaughter, and the other was Jones. DeCosta admitted they were shocked and dismayed when both came off the board in the 2nd round. They’d been hoping the two would drop to the 3rd, which is why the Ravens felt comfortable spending their own 2nd rounder on Missouri defensive end Zion Young. Ironically, that specific choice likely forced the Bears to pivot to Jones and, in turn, prompted the Los Angeles Chargers to take Slaughter. This is what can happen when you gamble on certain prospects falling.
This Logan Jones revelation is doubly good for the Bears.
For one, it screws over the Ravens. The AFC power drew a lot of heat a few weeks ago when they traded for Maxx Crosby from Las Vegas. However, they then designated him with a failed physical and rescinded the trade. It is widely believed that Baltimore had expected to retain center Tyler Linderbaum while adding Crosby. Linderbaum signed a massive contract with the Raiders, though. Facing the prospect of losing two 1st round picks while having several roster holes to fill, they “failed” Crosby and signed Trey Hendrickson instead. It feels rather poetic that the Bears ended up being the ones robbing them of their preferred center replacement.
The other exciting part is that Baltimore has a strong reputation for drafting centers. Jeff Mitchell won them a Super Bowl in 2000 as a former 5th round pick. Casey Rabach, a 3rd rounder, had a solid season at center in 2004 and went on to become a long-term starter for Washington. Sixth round pick Bradley Bozeman became a starter for them in the late 2010s, while 1st round pick Linderbaum made three Pro Bowls. This doesn’t include undrafted free agent Matt Skura, who started three seasons for them, including Lamar Jackson’s first MVP campaign in 2019.
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If there is a center the Ravens want, the odds are favorable that he will be pretty good.
It isn’t surprising that the Bears got here.
After all, former assistant GM Ian Cunningham was brought up in the Ravens scouting system. He was as familiar with their process and the types of players they targeted as anybody. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine he helped the Poles implement a similar approach to the Bears’ system. The results have been pretty good so far. One thing holding them back was the coaching staff. Baltimore has always had capable coaches leading the way. That finally happened last year when Chicago hired Ben Johnson.
The fact that he pushed hard for the team to draft Logan Jones speaks volumes. After all, he worked with Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow in Detroit and spearheaded the efforts to sign Drew Dalman. Johnson has a keen eye for what that position must look like, especially in his offense. Jones has the athleticism, toughness, technical prowess, and intelligence to man that position for a long time. No doubt the Ravens will be left wondering why they didn’t act sooner if he thrives.
