Now that the 2026 NFL draft is over, this is a good time to look at realistic expectations for the rookie draft class. What are the potential expectations for second-round rookie Logan Jones, and what should the Chicago Bears look forward to from him?
Setting expectations for Chicago Bears rookie Logan Jones
Since 2012, there have been 27 centers drafted between picks 40 and 80. This is a good range to view Jones, who firmly went in between those picks. Based on the track record of this sample, Bears fans should expect him to get on the field.
On average, this sample started 11.4 games as rookies. Only two did not start a single game, and only eight started fewer than half of the games for the team that drafted them. For what it is worth, Cam Jurgens did not start for the Philadelphia Eagles as he sat behind Jason Kelce, and he has been a quality starter. So, if Jones did not start it would not be the end of the world. However, replacing Kelce was much harder than replacing Bradbury.
It is notable that there are a lot of successful offensive linemen drafted in this range, but the majority of the ones that either do not hit or turn into backups are the ones who started eight or fewer games. Those names are Hroniss Grasu, Marcus Martin, Josh Myers, Juice Scruggs, Travis Swanson, Matt Hennssey, Max Tuerk, and Jurgens. It is a mixed bag with some quality depth options.
The list of players to start in every game as a rookie is Creed Humphrey, Luke Fortner, Cody Mauch, Erik McCoy, Cody Whitehair, and Cooper Beebee. Fortner is the least quality of this group, and he is still penciled in as a starter. If Jones gets in the lineup before week one, he is entering a group of high-quality starters.
Mitch Morse, Michael Dieter, Zach Frazier, Elgton Jenkins, Pat Elflein, Nick Martin, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Joe Tippman, John Michael-Schimtz, Ethan Pocic, Peter Konz, and Connor Williams all had between 10 and 15 starts. Once again, there are very few misses in this group, although one or two players did not quite live up to expectations after their rookie seasons.
Still, this tells us the story we need to know. The Chicago Bears should be expecting Jones to start early and often during his rookie year, or they would not have drafted him that high.
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