One of head coach Ben Johnson’s biggest challenges when he first came to the Chicago Bears was improving the offensive line, which was historically bad in 2024. With an almost entirely different grouping in 2025, Johnson gave the Bears one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
Most of last season’s unit is returning with two exceptions -- left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who is going to miss most, if not all, of this season due to a torn patellar tendon, and center Drew Dalman, who elected to retire this offseason. Dalman’s retirement was quite surprising, especially after he signed a three-year contract through 2027 and made the Pro Bowl in 2025.
Chicago did not take long finding a replacement for Dalman, trading for center Garrett Bradbury, who spent
last season with the New England Patriots. Bradbury started every game for the Patriots last season, including the Super Bowl. He ranked in the bottom of the pack of centers last season, according to Pro Football Focus, but he also was not surrounded by talent comparable to Chicago’s offensive line talent.
So far in training camp, Bradbury’s performance has been flying under the radar. However, tight end Cole Kmet said the transition from Dalman to Bradbury has been “seamless” and Johnson was pleased with Bradbury so far.
“He is extremely impressive,” Johnson said. “What stands out the most is he has an elite level of communication. We are cooking right now with him out there.”
Johnson has a history of putting his starters out for limited reps in the preseason. So, it is entirely possible Bears fans will get their first look at Bradbury’s in-game performance sometime in the preseason ahead of Chicago’s first game of the year against the Carolina Panthers in September.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson shares impression of new Bears center Garrett Bradbury
