LAKE FOREST, Ill. (104.3 The Score) — Two days after being traded from the Patriots to the Bears, veteran center Garrett Bradbury flew to Chicago and visited with his new team. There was a notable player there to greet him.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams stopped by Halas Hall to meet with the 30-year-old Bradbury.
"I’ve heard great things about him, and that reaffirmed everything that I’ve heard,” Bradbury said of Williams. “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."
It was fitting that Williams was present, because Bradbury is in Chicago in large part because the Bears wanted Williams to work with a veteran.
After the sudden retirement of Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman in early March, the Bears sought out an experienced center to replace him. They got one in Bradbury by dealing a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Patriots. More than any other trait, they coveted a center who could make life easier on the 24-year-old Williams.
It was Dalman who managed the pre-snap calls for Williams last season. Bradbury did the same for Pro Bowl quarterback Drake Maye in New England last season.
Bradbury has played seven NFL seasons and made 105 starts at center.
“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,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “That’s very good with his communication, smart, been in different systems. We feel like he can plug in and have command of that O-line.”
Poles declined to discuss the details of Dalman’s abrupt retirement, but the Bears weren't prepared for the news when the offseason began.
Fortunately for Poles, Dalman made his decision before free agency began, giving the Bears time to acquire Bradbury, who could be a one-year rental given that he's entering the final year of his contract.
This NFL Draft class is deep at the center position, so the Bears could find their long-term answer there and give that player a year to develop.
For now, the Bears hope Bradbury will fit seamlessly into their plans. That's his hope too.
“They have their culture set,” Bradbury said. “And so I'm not coming in to try and re-establish anything. 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.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for TheScoreChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.