The Chicago Bears did not expect to go into this season needing a new center. But after Drew Dalman’s sudden retirement, the Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury to serve as their starter for the 2026 season.
There are a lot of responsibilities tied to the starting center, which is why continuity at that position is so important. Unfortunately for quarterback Caleb Williams, he has yet to have the same center two years in a row, which could have something to do with some center-quarterback exchange struggles in training camp so far.
Bradbury has emerged as Chicago’s starting center so far in training camp as he is listed as the starter on the Bears’ first unofficial depth chart. This is not surprising even though Chicago spent a second-round pick
on center Logan Jones, who's listed as the No. 2 center on the depth chart. Bradbury does not take the responsibilities of the center position lightly.
"I relish it. I love it. I think it’s fun to play in," Bradbury said. "That’s where the film study and all the meetings and the coaches preparing you for certain looks all come together. There’s a lot of ownership…I’ve had coaches say in the past, 'You get the key to the car.' You get to take that ownership and make a lot of calls. I kind of love that piece of the game. Sometimes it’s a little bit like a puzzle, and you’ve got to solve the puzzle right before the ball is snapped and then you’ve got to do your job."
The responsibility for protection and pre-snap operations is shared between Williams and Bradbury. With that shared responsibility, head coach Ben Johnson feels more reps could help this relationship.
"The more reps we get, whether it’s protection-wise, run game-wise where Caleb can help, [Williams] might see things that Garrett doesn’t see, and vice versa,” Johnson said. "So we are all aligned and in the best position to execute the play."
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Garrett Bradbury explains his responsibilities in the Bears offense
