Reinforcing the offensive line was priority number one when head coach Ben Johnson arrived to the Chicago Bears last January and the work to accomplish that started quickly alongside general manager Ryan Poles and veteran offensive line coach Dan Roushar.

Quarterback Caleb Williams led the NFL with 68 sacks during his rookie season and it was clear the new staff planned to make improving that area a focus. And so, the Bears brought in three new starters in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson.

Thuney went on to become the NFL’s first-ever Protector of the Year and a first-team All Pro selection while Dalman was named as a Pro Bowl selection. Williams’ sack numbers went from 68 to 24 after his second season with the Bears, a major accomplishment for the offensive front.

However, it’s a year-to-year business and the Bears were back to the drawing board in 2026 to retool the offensive line after Dalman announced his sudden retirement at 27-years-old and rookie second-round pick left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a significant patellar tendon injury. Johnson, Poles, and Roushar went back to work, adding two new faces to Chicago’s offensive line room.

Garrett Bradbury is excited to reunite with Joe Thuney and play for Ben Johnson

The first addition Chicago made was trading for veteran center Garrett Bradbury, who played the 2025 season with the New England Patriots that included a Super Bowl appearance. The Bears wanted to get out in front of the center market and moved quickly to acquire Bradbury before another team could strike ahead of free agency.

Bradbury was college teammates with Thuney at NC State and has experience playing to the right of the future Hall of Famer. Someone Bradbury doesn’t have much experience being around is his new head coach, one that considers the center position to be the quarterback of the offensive line.

“I’m fired up,” Bradbury told the media on Thursday. “I’m not just saying that. Playing against Ben, when I was in Minnesota and he was in Detroit for all of those years, you watch certain offenses as an offensive lineman and there’s offenses that excite you and his is certainly one of them. You know what you’re going to get. You’re going to run the football, you’re going to play-action, and it’s a physical brand of football which I think everyone wants to sign up for.”

Another piece in Chicago that excites Bradbury is of course his new quarterback, and the two of them have already gotten starting building that relationship you need between the two positions.

“I got to spend a little bit of time with Caleb,” Bradbury explained. “I flew up on Sunday to finalize the trade, do the physicals, and all that. Got to spend some time with him and I’ve heard great things about him. That reaffirmed everything that I’ve heard, he’s an awesome guy and obviously he’s an awesome player. Looking forward to working with him and helping him in anyway that I can.”

Jedrick Wills is eager for the opportunity to reestablish his career and compete for a starting job

The second addition was the free agent signing of former 10th overall pick Jedrick Wills. Wills was a highly touted prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft and started his career as the left tackle for the Cleveland Browns. Injuries derailed his career after his first three seasons and forced him to take a full year out of the league in 2025.

“It was very boring, but yeah, definitely changed my perspective on the game,” Wills explained. “I feel like I missed it more than usual. You know, just being off and not being out there and watching from home was a little bit different.”

Wills noted he is “doing better now” coming off a major knee/leg injury suffered in 2024 and ready to compete again at the NFL level.

“Opportunity, they wanted me to have here, have me here on the roster, and they gave me another chance to play, basically just competition,” Wills added. “Coming in and just trying to prove what I can do and see where that takes me.”

Wills will be entered into the left tackle battle going into the 2026 season against three-year starter Braxton Jones, who re-signed with the team on a one-year deal earlier this week. He’s also excited to work with an “energetic” coach in Johnson and prove he still has what it takes to be a potential starter for the Bears offensive line.

Chicago Bears News

Ryan Poles is already putting his draft plan in motion by scouting two potential prospects at a position he largely avoided in free agency

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is down at the Oklahoma Pro Day following a busy free agency week.

Kole Noble