Following the sudden retirement of veteran center Drew Dalman this offseason, the Chicago Bears wasted no time in making a trade for Garrett Bradbury from the New England Patriots, looking to stabilize the position this season.
Chicago also drafted rookie Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and while he was believed to bring competition to Bradbury, the veteran took control of the battle in preseason and will begin the year as the team's starting center.
Bradbury will be reunited with his college teammate in Joe Thuney as starters on the Bears offensive line, and offensive coordinator Press Taylor credited the veteran with earning the trust of his coaches and teammates.
"Garrett has earned a lot of trust coming in here," Taylor
said. "The way he's commanded the huddle, the way he's commanded the line of scrimmage, the way he does things, he's very loud, vocal, confident, and also very intelligent. He's earned a lot of trust and a lot of respect from the guys, coaches and players as well with what he's done the last six, seven months of time."
There is no denying the impact that the center position plays for the Bears on the offensive line, and Bradbury has put in the work to not just earn the job, but also the respect of his teammates and coaches. Bradbury's relationship with Williams will be a big part to having the offense reach the goals they have set out for themselves.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: How Bears center Garrett Bradbury has earned the trust of the team
