After the Chicago Bears gave Drew Dalman a big free-agent deal last offseason and he went on to start every game while playing at a Pro Bowl level, I assumed the Bears had finally figured out their center for the foreseeable future.
“But not so fast, my friend”
Last year, Dalman made my Most Important Chicago Bears list at number ten, but with his unexpected retirement, the Bears were forced to add to the center position for a second consecutive offseason.
“It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
Having a capable
center can take some presnap stuff off the quarterback’s plate, and Dalman provided just that for Caleb Williams in 2025. He was also a perfect fit for the Bears’ zone-based blocking scheme and was solid in pass protection.
Whoever ends up winning the center job will need to gel with the returning guards and help keep the offense’s sack percentage around 4%, like it was a year ago.
The Bears traded for veteran Garrett Bradbury to ensure they had a professional at the position who could handle the mental demands, but at 31, what we see is what we’ll get. In seven years, he’s started all 105 games he’s played for the Minnesota Vikings (2019-2024) and the 2025 AFC Champion New England Patriots. He’s an experienced and heady player who is a fit for a zone blocking scheme, and at the time of the trade, that’s exactly what the Bears needed.
But he’s not an ascending player who can grow with the franchise quarterback.
Enter Logan Jones.
The Bears nabbed Iowa’s Jones, the best center in the 2026 NFL Draft, in the second round, and while there’s no rush for him to win the job, he’ll be given every opportunity to do so.
“Time will tell,” head coach Ben Johnson said in May when asked how soon Jones could start. “The ball is in his court as far as I’m concerned.”
With Bradbury and Jones, the center position should be in good hands for 2026, but due to the importance Ben Johnson puts on the position, it’s critical for Caleb and the offense that they get up to speed quickly.
My guess is the Bears will be patient with Jones, but once he shows them he’s ready, they’ll pull the trigger and insert him into the starting lineup.
And if everything goes as planned, he’ll be snapping the ball to Caleb for the next decade.
