The New York Jets have a glaring weakness on the roster that they can address before the season.
Sportsnaut analyst Andrew Buller-Russ wrote a piece talking about several NFL players “who could get traded in June.” The first name on his list was Chicago Bears offensive lineman Garrett Bradbury.
“When the Bears traded a fifth-round pick for Garrett Bradbury, it was because their 27-year-old Pro Bowl center, Drew Dalman, had retired three days earlier. The circumstances have since changed after the Bears selected Iowa’s Logan Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft in April. Now, the Bears could look to recuperate their draft compensation, or something close to it, if Jones looks ready to start,” Buller-Russ explained.
Bradbury, 30, will turn 31 before the start of the 2026 season. In March of this offseason, Chicago struck a trade with the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick to acquire Bradbury.
Now he could be on the move again, and the Jets should take advantage.
An Area of Concern for the Jets
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said the depth on the interior offensive line is a “concern.”
“I think the depth is a concern on the interior,” Cimini said on the “Jets Collective” podcast. “I’d feel a little bit more comfortable if they had another swing center/guard who had some experience.”
Josh Myers projects to start at center for a second straight season for the Jets, but what happens if he gets hurt?
Cimini assumes that Joe Tippmann, currently the Jets’ right guard, would kick back to center, a position he has played earlier in his career.
Tippmann is a team player, but does he want to switch positions in a contract year? Should the Jets want that for him?
It would be a much better idea to add some competition at center. Let Myers and a new guy (maybe Bradbury) compete for that job; the winner is the best man, and the loser provides some invaluable depth behind him just in case of injury.
More Info on Bradbury
The former NC State product originally entered the league as the No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.
He spent the first six years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. Bradbury played for the Patriots last season, who went to the Super Bowl. This offseason, he was flipped to the Bears in a trade.
Bradbury is under contract through the 2026 season on a one-year deal for $4.7 million that includes $3.7 million in total guarantees.
Across his seven years in the NFL, Bradbury has started 105 games. Over the last two years, he has started 34 out of 34 possible games. He has started at least 12 games every year of his NFL career.
Post June 1 Rules Explained
Why now?
Once we get past June 1, a lot of flexibility is created across the NFL.
The NFL Live crew explained some of the rules:
- “Allows dead money to be spread over 2 seasons (teams can designate 2 earlier cuts as post-June 1).”
- “Cuts may be applied anytime, but teams won’t receive cap relief until June 2.”
- Trades cannot become official until June 2 in order to spread cap hit.”
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