Logan Jones is the Chicago Bears' center of the future. So how soon will he be the starter?

The Iowa Hawkeyes needed a center. Tyler Linderbaum was gone, selected 25th by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2022 NFL draft.

Iowa had a void to fill and coach Kirk Ferentz had an idea. What if the Hawkeyes turned to defensive tackle Logan Jones, a redshirt freshman from Council Bluffs, Iowa, who played both ways in high school and had some experience at center?

Offensive line coach George Barnett knew Jones as the defensive lineman whose name was all over the record board in the team weight room.

"He would've been one of the better D-linemen in the Big Ten," Barnett said. "That's how talented he was and how tough he is."

Instead, Jones made what Barnett described as "a totally unselfish, team decision" and moved to center before the 2022 season. The Hawkeyes didn't bother easing Jones in - they threw him in with the first-team offense during spring practice.

Things progressed quickly. Perhaps it was his defensive line experience or perhaps it was simply how hard he worked, but Jones developed a knack for diagnosing what the defense was doing in front of him.

"You can tell some things really started to click," Barnett said. "You could tell he got his rhythm and he wasn't really processing so much presnap - he was kind of seeing and feeling. He was starting to build the necessary habits.

“For most kids it would take a full year. For him it took probably half a year to kind of get his groove."

Jones went on to start 51 games over the next four years in the middle of the Hawkeyes offensive line and win the Rimington Trophy in 2025 as college football's best center.

Four years after Jones’ position switch, the Chicago Bears believe he will attack his rookie NFL season with the same tenacity with which he attacked his move to center.

The Bears made Jones the 57th pick in the draft in April. While they also traded for veteran center Garrett Bradbury this offseason, Jones appears to be the team's future at center. The only question is when that future will begin in earnest.

Presumably, Jones will sit behind the more experienced Bradbury at first. Bradbury comes to Chicago with an expiration date: just one year remaining on his contract. The Bears might be perfectly content to let Jones sit for most, if not all, of his rookie season.

But they also just drafted college football's best center. If he proves he's good enough to play, he will play.

"Like all these guys, you're looking for guys to put good reps together back to back to back to back every day and be the same person and get better, see improvement," Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. "I think by the time we get through training camp and through the preseason, we'll have a really good idea where he's at relative to the competition at that position."

Coach Ben Johnson said the "ball is in his court" with regard to when Jones will prove he's ready to start. The transition from college to the pros at center is no easy task. The center takes on a lot in an NFL offense, often calling out protections for the rest of the line. It will take time to learn how Johnson likes things done.

At this stage in quarterback Caleb Williams’ career, the Bears value having a veteran center. A year ago they signed veteran Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million contract. In his first season with the Bears, Dalman earned a Pro Bowl nod and immediately filled a void that had nagged the team for years.

Then Dalman abruptly retired in March, one year into his new contract. That created an unexpected hole.

General manager Ryan Poles took a two-pronged approach toward filling it: trading for Bradbury and drafting Jones. Having two starting-caliber centers is a good problem to have. But with a young quarterback, having a veteran at center gives Williams someone to lean on.

“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, that's very good with his communication, smart, been in different systems," Poles said when the Bears traded for Bradbury. "We feel like he can plug in and have command of that O-line."

Jones, who will be the first Bear to wear No. 54 since Brian Urlacher, will have to wait his turn and earn every snap he can. While he's undoubtedly eager to play, Jones understands his place right now on a veteran offensive line.

"It's such an honor for me to come in and be able to learn from those guys," Jones said. "Obviously you compete, and that's part of the game as well. That's why we're here, right? To compete as if you're a starter.

“It's going to be a lot of fun and I look forward to it, the opportunity for growth and learning. This is my rookie year and I don't think you could ask for a better position to be in."

Roushar believes Jones will learn a lot from Bradbury and his seven years of NFL experience. This is the second consecutive year Bradbury has found himself in a similar position.

Last year he signed a two-year contract with the New England Patriots, who then drafted center Jared Wilson in the third round. The Patriots played Wilson at left guard, where he started 13 regular-season games, while Bradbury manned the center spot on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.

The Patriots felt it was time to move Wilson back to center after his rookie season. That's why they were OK with trading Bradbury to the Bears.

Bradbury, a 2019 first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, was once a young center learning from a veteran quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Now he's the vet, and for the second consecutive year he'll work with one of the NFL's most promising young quarterbacks - Drake Maye last year and Williams this season.

“As I’ve gotten older and more experienced, I see the game a little bit differently,” Bradbury said. “I’ve seen more things and (I’m) a lot more comfortable and confident to voice what I’m seeing and things that we could adjust or change. It’s just a cool part of the process.”

Roushar believes Bradbury and Jones will develop a good working relationship. Both are hard workers who want to win. Yes, only one can play center, but both can benefit from one another.

"You already feel the team commitment from Garrett in understanding, hey, look, I want this guy to be better, it's going to make me better, it's going to make our team better," Roushar said.

Not surprisingly, Bradbury began organized team activities with the first-team offense. Jones worked with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent and the twos. The Bears also have 2025 sixth-round pick Luke Newman taking reps at center.

Jones will have to prove himself to supplant a veteran like Bradbury. Even if it doesn't happen this season, the Bears foresee No. 54 being a fixture on their offensive line for years to come.

"There's a lot of things to be encouraged about," Roushar said. "And yet he's very aware of how much better he can become. It'll just be how fast that happens."

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 6:21 AM.