The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and Garrett Bradbury may have been the reason why. The former Vikings center had a rough afternoon playing in the rain at Soldier Field, committing five penalties and allowing a pressure on 45 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF.
But Bears head coach Ben Johnson seemed supportive of Bradbury after the 9-3 loss, saying he’s doing “ a great job” and that “it was a challenging day for everybody.”
Despite Johnson’s vote of confidence, Bears fans are screaming for rookie Logan Jones to take over, and they’re quickly learning what Vikings fans knew when their team decided to kick him to the curb after the 2024 season.
Garrett Bradbury isn’t living up to his expectations after Vikings release
The Vikings took Bradbury with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Bradbury was considered a generational prospect going into the draft, leading NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah to compare him to former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and give him the nickname “The Grim Reacher” due to his intelligence, athleticism, and performance in the running game. But his biggest issue has been in pass protection.
According to PFF, Bradbury finished in the top five in quarterback pressures allowed in five of his six seasons with the Vikings, including leading the position with 38 pressures during the 2024 season.
Bradbury showed improvement after signing with the New England Patriots last spring, but he regressed mightily against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, allowing six pressures, a sack, and a penalty in the loss.
That performance may have convinced the Patriots to trade Bradbury to Chicago entering the final year of his contract, and Johnson said that Bradbury “fit like a glove” as he replaced Drew Dalman, who retired abruptly last spring.
Still, the same issues have popped up through his first two weeks as a Bear. While Bradbury has only allowed three pressures on 79 pass-blocking snaps, the penalties became an issue, with four coming in the first half.
Playing in the same weather that Kirk Cousins described as his undercarriage didn’t help matters, but he also has been teetering toward losing his job as the serviceable, but not great, player he’s always been.
Vikings are watching Garrett Bradbury become the Bears’ problem
Vikings fans can’t laugh too hard at Bradbury’s situation, as Ryan Kelly couldn’t fill the void a year ago and Blake Brandel is being shoehorned in at center this season. Brandel’s snap over the head of Carson Wentz on Sunday was another example of how the Vikings could still have Bradbury’s absence haunt them.
But for the Bears, it’s a situation they likely saw coming by taking Jones in the second round of April’s draft. Jones has had his own issues during training camp, but Johnson and his staff are slow-playing his development while watching Bradbury struggle.
There’s a chance that Bradbury will dust himself off and give the same professional effort he usually does. But at age 31, it’s likely he’ll never reach the ceiling the Vikings believed he had when they reached for him in the first round.
If the Bears were hoping for more, they’ll also be disappointed and could be on their way to making a change as the 2026 season rolls along.
Add us as a preferred source on Google