The Bears are already getting a crash course in what Vikings fans knew for years: Garrett Bradbury can be steady, but he can also be a problem when the margin gets thin.
Chicago’s 9-3 loss to Minnesota on Sunday put Bradbury squarely in the spotlight. Playing in the rain at Soldier Field, the former Vikings center was charged with five penalties and allowed a pressure on 45 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF. It was the kind of afternoon that makes a bad debut feel even worse.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson still sounded willing to stand behind him afterward. Johnson said Bradbury is doing “ a great job” and added that “it was a challenging day for everybody.”
That didn’t stop the noise from growing. Bears fans are already calling for rookie Logan Jones to take over, and the frustration is easy to understand after a performance like that.
Bradbury arrived in Chicago with plenty of name recognition and even more baggage. Minnesota drafted him 18th overall in 2019 after he was billed as a generational prospect.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah compared him to former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and nicknamed him “The Grim Reacher” because of his intelligence, athleticism, and work in the run game. But pass protection has long been the sticking point.
PFF data shows that Bradbury finished in the top five in quarterback pressures allowed in five of his six seasons with the Vikings, including leading all centers with 38 pressures in 2024. He did improve after signing with the New England Patriots last spring, but things fell apart against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, when he gave up six pressures, a sack, and a penalty in the loss.
That showing may have pushed New England to move him to Chicago with one year left on his contract. Johnson said Bradbury “ fit like a glove ” when he replaced Drew Dalman, who retired abruptly last spring.
The early returns in Chicago have been mixed at best. Through two games, Bradbury has allowed three pressures on 79 pass-blocking snaps, but the flags have piled up, with four penalties coming in the first half.
The weather didn’t help. Neither did the broader reality that Bradbury has always hovered in that awkward middle ground - serviceable, but never quite the difference-maker teams hope they’re getting.
Minnesota, of course, is not exactly free of the center problem either. Ryan Kelly couldn’t solve it a year ago, and Blake Brandel is now being forced into the role this season. Brandel’s snap over the head of Carson Wentz on Sunday was another reminder that the Vikings’ own issues at the position are far from settled.
Still, Chicago did see this coming to some degree when it drafted Jones in the second round in April. Jones has had his own rough patches in training camp, but Johnson and his staff are taking the long view while Bradbury works through the growing pains.
There’s always a chance Bradbury settles in and gives Chicago the kind of professional effort he’s known for. But at 31, it’s hard to see him reaching the ceiling Minnesota once imagined when it spent a first-round pick on him.
If the Bears were hoping for more, they may be headed for another adjustment before long, with a change possible as the 2026 season rolls along.
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