Bears Grab Veteran Center to Plug Gaps

The Chicago Bears have moved quickly before the new NFL season starts, trading a 2027 fifth‑round pick to New England for center Garrett Bradbury. The deal will go through once the league year opens next Wednesday. Bradbury, who was a first‑round pick in 2019, spent six seasons with the Vikings before signing a two‑year contract that could earn him up to $12 million in 2025. He will owe the Bears $4. 7 million for his final year with them. He played every game in his sole season with the Patriots, anchoring an offensive line that also featured rookie left tackle Will Campbell and guard Jared Wilson. His experience should help stabilize a Bears line that lost 40 % of its starters after Drew Dalman retired and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo is recovering from a knee injury.Chicago has also cleared $44 million in salary‑cap space by releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and trading wide receiver DJ Moore to the Bills. This gives the team room to add talent without breaking the bank. Bradbury’s best years came in Minnesota’s zone‑scheme offense, where he handled a lot of play‑action and misdirection. Under head coach Ben Johnson, the Bears ran a pass‑heavy offense in 2025, using center as the snapper almost half the time and relying on play‑action in about a third of drives. The team also had one of the league’s highest rates of explosive plays. For New England, center Wilson—drafted in 2025—will likely fill the void. Wilson played guard at Georgia before shifting to center, reflecting the Patriots’ flexible approach to their offensive line.