On March 11th, the Chicago Bears traded a 5th round pick to the New England Patriots for veteran center Garrett Bradbury. The team had just lost Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman to a surprise retirement, leaving them in the lurch at one of the most important offensive positions. Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t want to bank on the draft yielding someone he liked, and free agency would be too expensive. So general manager Ryan Poles, knowing the Patriots were about to slide one of their younger players into that spot, called about Bradbury.
The Bears had at least some stability at the spot. Then things took a twist. Chicago ended up landing Logan Jones out of Iowa in the 2nd round. Many experts graded him as the best center in the draft. A month before that, Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum signed a massive free agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving the Baltimore Ravens without a viable starter in the middle. These two events have many in Baltimore wondering whether the team might call the Bears about Bradbury’s availability.
Ravens insider Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic mentioned it on the Glenn Clark Radio show.
Trading Garrett Bradbury does make sense.
The Bears originally acquired him because they had no choice. They badly needed somebody credible to keep the offensive line from falling apart after such a great 2025 season. While not a star, the man is smart, experienced, and dependable. Adding Jones to the mix changed the equation. This isn’t some raw prospect in need of seasoning. Jones started 51 games for Iowa. He is battle-tested and technically sound. He also turns 25 this year. This is a man in the locker room, not a kid. Jones can start immediately.
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That raises a simple question. Do the Bears still prefer to ride Garrett Bradbury for this season and wait to hand Jones the baton? So far, it’s been suggested that this is the current plan. However, plans change frequently in the NFL. If Jones shows enough progress between rookie minicamps and the start of training camp, that may convince the team he can handle the starting job. If the Ravens come calling about Bradbury at that point, the Bears may not have a reason to say no.
Bradbury could have the shortest tenure ever.
Almost every notable Bears trade acquisition in history lasted at least one season with the team. Depending on how this goes, Bradbury could end up lasting barely five or six months. He may not even play a down for the team. That is how wild this situation is. Let’s not forget the Bears only have six picks next year. They might be eager to get back what they gave up for Bradbury in the first place. If the Ravens are willing to reimburse them in exchange for his services, the deal makes even more sense.
The Ravens aren’t in any position of leverage. Their current options are Corey Bullock, Jovaughn Gwyn, Danny Pinter, and Nick Dawkins. Pinter is the only one with meaningful experience, having started 10 games across six seasons in Indianapolis. Free agency? Ethan Pocic tore his Achilles last season. Ryan Kelly retired. The only other option is Andre James, who has regressed significantly over the past couple of years after some solid seasons in Las Vegas. Unless the Ravens are willing to roll the dice on him, Bradbury is their only path to finding stability for Lamar Jackson.
