LAKE FOREST, Ill. (104.3 The Score) — All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum was once a defensive lineman with the Iowa football program before making a position shift that would change his life.
Linderbaum is now considered the best at his position in the NFL, and he recently signed a three-year, $81-million deal with the Raiders that made him the highest-paid center in league history.
As Linderbaum entered the NFL back in 2022, Iowa converted another defensive lineman to center. That was Logan Jones, who blossomed in his new role and eventually won the Rimington Trophy in 2025 as the top center in college football. Last Friday, the Bears selected Jones at No. 57 overall in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Jones emerged as the top center in this draft class in part because he followed the path set by Linderbaum.
"Just seeing the way he handled his business,” Jones said Saturday after he arrived at Halas Hall. “The way he operated, the way he played the game. He's somebody I looked up to.
“I was young and I wanted to play at a super high level. (And) I think the biggest thing was my mental capacity for handling things, being confident and making sure everybody was on the same page."
The Bears had a need at center after 27-year-old Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman's sudden retirement in early March. In the aftermath of that news, Chicago moved quickly to acquire veteran center Garrett Bradbury in a trade with New England.
Bradbury is in line to be the Bears’ starting center, but Jones is positioned to compete for the job as well.
“You can tell just talking to him,” Bears director of player personnel Trey Koziol said of Jones. “He’s mature, composed, the football intelligence really stood out. He’s a guy that’s commanded the respect of his teammates at Iowa. A captain, a leader, grown man, pro-ready habits. We talk about all the things you can see on tape — the athleticism, the strength, the scrappy play temperament and all that stuff, but it’s really the intangibles too that stood out. Really cerebral player.
“We talk about the mental stamina of that position to consistently — he’s got a lot on his plate in terms of doing Mike IDs and all that stuff in the run game. They come from a really well-coached program there. So to be able to handle the cerebral side and keep the composure to handle that piece while also combining it with the intensity and the physicality and the relentless play, it’s rare to find that. A lot of times you might have one or the other, but when you get a combination of those two, it’s really exciting to watch.”
The Bears have placed a high value on the cerebral element of the position as they've worked to foster the development of 24-year-old quarterback Caleb Williams. Dalman served as a caddy alongside Williams, helping him with pre-snap calls and getting the Bears’ offense set. Bradbury will do the same in helping Williams strive for progress in his third NFL season.
At the same time, Jones will be in position to learn from Bradbury as a rookie.
“We felt convicted as a staff and a personnel side that he was our guy,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said of Jones. “The mental (aspect) is top-notch. We saw all the traits that we’re looking for. It’s just another spot that we’ll have high-level competition at.”
The Bears will kick off the 2026 season with their fifth different starting center in six years. That’s a fate they didn't imagine after Dalman’s Pro Bowl campaign in 2025, but they pivoted quickly to address the position now and for their long-term future.
Like Linderbaum, Jones was the first player drafted at his position in his respective class. And Jones knows this is just the beginning for him.
“I'm just going to come in and work as hard as I can,” he said.
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
