The Garrett Bradbury trade chatter has cooled, at least for the moment.
For weeks, the idea had a simple shape: the Chicago Bears brought in Bradbury earlier in the offseason, then raised eyebrows by taking Iowa center Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. That immediately sent people wondering whether Bradbury might be on borrowed time in Chicago, especially with Ben Johnson praising him during OTAs but not exactly ending the speculation.
One destination kept popping up in the noise: Baltimore.
That made sense on paper. The Ravens lost Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, creating a hole at center, and plenty of Ravens reporters had pushed the idea of a Bradbury trade. But Baltimore went another direction, signing former Cleveland Browns starting center Ethan Pocic to a one-year deal instead.
That move doesn’t slam the door shut completely, but it does make a Bradbury deal look a lot less likely.
Pocic tore his ACL last season with the Browns and appears to be on track to start in training camp, though that still isn’t guaranteed. For now, the Ravens have at least addressed the position without having to chase Bradbury.
From the Bears’ side, the logic is pretty straightforward: keep the veteran in place and let the rookie wait his turn. Bradbury may not be the flashiest answer at center, but he’s steady, and he looks like a useful one-year bridge before Jones takes over next season.
The numbers explain why some Bears fans may be uneasy. Pro Football Focus gave Bradbury a 60.1 grade last season, which ranked 30th out of 40 centers in the NFL. His run-blocking grade, 56.2, came in 35th.
Still, handing the job to a rookie in Johnson’s complex offense doesn’t sound like the cleanest path either. Bradbury also brings some familiarity with the group, including past chemistry with Joe Thuney from their college days.
Jones has the traits to become a strong NFL center, but Bradbury looks like the safer choice right now. That said, the trade idea isn’t dead forever. If injuries start piling up around the league during the season, the Bears could be tempted to move him after all.
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