CHICAGO — Ryan Poles has learned the art of pivoting quickly over his four years as the general manager of the Chicago Bears.

His first experience came two months into the job in March 2022, when his marquee free agent signing fell through after defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi failed a physical. Four years later, Poles was once again tasked with pivoting and redirecting quickly after center Drew Dalman called it a career after five NFL seasons.

Dalman’s retirement after one season in Chicago came as a shock to the organization that gave him a three-year contract in March 2025. After quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times as a rookie, tied for third most ever taken in a single season in NFL history, the Bears prioritized rebuilding their offensive line from the inside out.

But with Dalman no longer in the fold, Poles and the Bears’ brass knew they couldn’t afford a drop-off in play at center. Three days after Dalman’s departure, Chicago sent a 2027 fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for center Garrett Bradbury, a former first-round pick with 105 starts over seven seasons.

“We felt like the best thing for us to do was to make that trade with a veteran center that’s played with a young quarterback before, that’s very good with his communication, smart, been in different systems,” Poles said. “We feel like he can plug in and have command of that O-line.”

Bradbury comes to Chicago having worked with quarterbacks of all levels of experience, from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold and Drake Maye. In Bradbury’s lone season with the Patriots in 2025, New England reached Super Bowl LX behind a top-tier offense that saw Maye throw for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the NFL with a 72% completion percentage.

The role Bradbury played on an inexperienced offensive line that featured two rookie starters, and the way he elevated the play around him, made him an intriguing option for Chicago. Williams experienced plenty of change during his first season with coach Ben Johnson, including going under center 49% of the time (fifth-highest rate in the NFL) from 29% (16th) as a rookie. That led to the league’s second-highest play-action usage rate (32%), something that would not have succeeded without the quarterback and his center being in lockstep.

The Bears believe Bradbury’s experience will yield similar results in Williams’ third season. The 30-year-old sees himself as responsible for making that happen by helping shoulder a significant load of the offense.

“It’s the same process of I want to get to know them and they want to get to know me, and if there’s ways I can help them …” Bradbury said. “I think the quarterback position is so unique that there’s so many people talking to them, there’s so much on their plate that you don’t want to be a guy that just adds to that. I kind of want to pick my spots and find ways. If I can help him in any way, then great. That’s what I’m here for. But I don’t want to add. I don’t just want to be another voice in their head.”

Within hours of Bradbury arriving for his physical on March 8, Williams had already left a lasting impression on his new teammate by showing up to welcome Bradbury to Chicago.

“I’ve heard great things about him, and that reaffirmed everything that I’ve heard,” Bradbury said. “He’s an awesome guy, he’s obviously an awesome player, so I’m looking forward to getting to work with him and helping him any way I can and learning from him as well.”

Bradbury has one year remaining on the two-year deal he signed with New England last offseason, with the Bears on the hook for $4.7 million this season.

Although the center position is solved in the short term, Chicago might also be eyeing one in a deep draft class that features Florida’s Jake Slaughter, Auburn’s Connor Lew and Kansas State’s Sam Hecht as the top three center prospects according to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

Having pivoted to an immediate solution and in possession of draft picks to find their long-term answer, the Bears exited the beginning of the league year feeling confident about the state of the offensive line, having also brought in Jedrick Wills Jr. and re-signedBraxton Jones to compete at left tackle while Ozzy Trapilo spends most of the 2026 season recovering from knee surgery.

Maintaining their position as a unit that ranked No. 1 in pass block win rate (74%) and fifth in run block win rate (74%) started with finding a veteran center who could pick up where Dalman left off

The parallels between Bradbury’s time in New England on a team that went from 4-13 before his arrival to the Super Bowl in one season mirror much of what Chicago experienced from Williams’ rookie year to an 11-win season and playoff berth a year later.

This time, Bradbury joins a team that has already laid a foundation for success. He’ll slot in between his former NC State teammate and first-team All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney and right guard Jonah Jackson, along with second-team All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright.

“They have their culture set, and so I’m not coming in to try and reestablish anything,” Bradbury said. “I’m just trying to learn from these guys. How do you guys work? They won the division last year, they had success, won a playoff game. Like, I’m not coming in to try and change anything. I’m coming in to help. And so that starts with building these relationships and figuring out how I can help, and then it goes from there.”

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