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The Chicago Bears suffered some big losses this offseason, including the surprising retirement of center Drew Dalman after just one season with the team. The Bears quickly pivoted to acquire veteran center Garrett Bradbury in a trade with the New England Patriots to shore up an important position for Ben Johnson's offense.
Bradbury started 17 games for the Patriots last season, where he allowed zero sacks in 642 pass blocking-snaps and zero penalties, per Pro Football Focus. Bradbury also is an affordable option at center, where he's set to carry a $4.7 million cap hit in 2026. His addition also doesn't stop Chicago from turning to the 2026 NFL Draft for a long-term investment at the position.
Johnson shared his thoughts following Dalman's retirement and the trade for Bradbury, where he believes the shift should be a seamless one for the Bears. While Dalman served as an integral part of the offense's success, Johnson believes Bradbury has the potential to do the same for quarterback Caleb Williams.
“We came to a consensus that Garrett was going to fit us like a glove,” Johnson said, via CHGO. “Obviously, he had a lot of success last year, made it to the Super Bowl. Very cerebral player. Joe Thuney knows him really well, so there’s some natural chemistry that I think we’re going to have on the inside. He’s going to fit what we like to do in the run game with our wide zone, running off the football.
“And when we watched him, we felt really good about what he did in pass pro as well. I think he’s going to be really what the doctor ordered for us. … It’s hard to replace a guy like Drew. He had a Pro Bowl season and played really, really well, and yet, we feel like Garrett is going to fit us really well also.”
Johnson, and even quarterback Caleb Williams, spoke at length about Dalman's importance for the offense last season. So losing their Pro Bowl center isn't exactly ideal. But Johnson believes that Bradbury has the potential to fill that hole and help this offense not miss a beat, and, as we know, it's hard not to trust Johnson after what he accomplished in just one season.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson reacts to new center Garrett Bradbury
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Bradbury started 17 games for the Patriots last season, where he allowed zero sacks in 642 pass blocking-snaps and zero penalties, per Pro Football Focus. Bradbury also is an affordable option at center, where he's set to carry a $4.7 million cap hit in 2026. His addition also doesn't stop Chicago from turning to the 2026 NFL Draft for a long-term investment at the position.
Johnson shared his thoughts following Dalman's retirement and the trade for Bradbury, where he believes the shift should be a seamless one for the Bears. While Dalman served as an integral part of the offense's success, Johnson believes Bradbury has the potential to do the same for quarterback Caleb Williams.
“We came to a consensus that Garrett was going to fit us like a glove,” Johnson said, via CHGO. “Obviously, he had a lot of success last year, made it to the Super Bowl. Very cerebral player. Joe Thuney knows him really well, so there’s some natural chemistry that I think we’re going to have on the inside. He’s going to fit what we like to do in the run game with our wide zone, running off the football.
“And when we watched him, we felt really good about what he did in pass pro as well. I think he’s going to be really what the doctor ordered for us. … It’s hard to replace a guy like Drew. He had a Pro Bowl season and played really, really well, and yet, we feel like Garrett is going to fit us really well also.”
Johnson, and even quarterback Caleb Williams, spoke at length about Dalman's importance for the offense last season. So losing their Pro Bowl center isn't exactly ideal. But Johnson believes that Bradbury has the potential to fill that hole and help this offense not miss a beat, and, as we know, it's hard not to trust Johnson after what he accomplished in just one season.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson reacts to new center Garrett Bradbury
Continue reading...
