Players are free to do as they choose. It’s part of living in a free country. If they want to keep playing, keep playing. If they want to do something else? Fine. That doesn’t change the fact that their actions have consequences. Chicago Bears fans tried to be understanding when center Drew Dalman abruptly retired this offseason. They had plenty of reasons to be upset. The Bears had just made him one of the highest-paid at his position. It was expected he’d at least perform through the end of that contract. Instead, the 27-year-old decided to hang it up after just one season.
Just like that, one of the vital anchors to Ben Johnson’s entire offense was gone. So much of what the Bears did last season required a capable center to perform. Now Dalman looked like he was taking the money and running, leaving the organization in the lurch. General manager Ryan Poles acted quickly, flipping a 5th round pick to the New England Patriots for veteran Garrett Bradbury. It was felt that they had at least managed to land someone they could trust in the short term.
Time has proven otherwise.
Drew Dalman won’t receive warm welcomes from Chicago anytime soon.
Bradbury has been a tough watch through two games as the starting center. He’s allowed 3 pressures on the quarterback and committed 4 penalties. He also has a 56.7 run-blocking rating, which ranks him 24th in the NFL among centers. Dalman had 4 penalties in all of 2025, and was the 9th-highest rated run-blocking center in the league. This illustrates, with alarming clarity, how much of a downgrade the Bears have undergone at the position. It’s little wonder the entire operation has looked off.
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One can only wonder how long of a leash Bradbury has at this point. The underwhelming play is one thing. It’s the penalties that are truly killing the team. One of them cost them a chance at points in the loss to Minnesota. Another almost did the same earlier in the game, if not for an offsetting roughing-the-passer call. Making a switch at such an important position this early in the season is never ideal. Still, the Bears drafted Logan Jones in the 2nd round for a reason. If Bradbury can’t get it done Monday night against Philadelphia, changes will follow. At least the rookie might be able to offer them what Drew Dalman should’ve: long-term stability.
This entire fiasco does prove one thing.
The Bears were right to stick with their original philosophy of building through the draft. Relying on pricey free agents to plug the gaps on a roster leads to bad things. These days, that includes abrupt retirements. Did Dalman always plan to step away this young after he got his big payday? He wouldn’t be the first player to do something like that. Plenty have gotten their big contracts and decided they were done shortly after. It’s certainly not the classiest thing to do, but it’s an unfortunate reality in this business.
Some may argue that health played a part. Dalman might’ve been dealing with something that led him to conclude playing much longer could ruin his body. Again, though, if he was already thinking that way, why stick around just long enough to secure that guaranteed money?
Alas, this is all pointless theorizing. Dalman is gone. He’s not coming back. The Bears have no choice but to continue searching for a replacement. It’s just unfortunate that the center gets out of this without feeling the destruction he left behind.
