Rookie center Logan Jones will wear No. 54 for the Chicago Bears, the first player to do so since Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. This marks a significant moment for the team and its fans.
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(Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
Tony Medlin first mentioned it to new Chicago Bears center Logan Jones.
Medlin, the team’s director of equipment, is one of the first people who players meet in the locker room when the team acquires them. Medlin has been with the Bears since 1987 and he has been the head equipment manager since 1997.
When they started talking about jersey numbers, Medlin mentioned No. 54 as a potential option for Jones, the team’s second-round draft pick last month.
“I came in and Tony, the equipment guy, he was kind of joking about it with me and whatnot,” Jones said. “He’s been here such a long time. He’s like, ‘I think it would be really cool.’”
Photos: Chicago Bears rookie minicamp at Halas Hall
That number, of course, belonged to Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher from 2000-12. Nobody has worn No. 54 for the Bears since Urlacher retired after the 2012 season.
Jones is about to change that. The 57th selection in the draft, Jones is excited to carry on Urlacher’s legacy.
“To be able to do that, and to be able to honor his number and who he is — when you think of the Chicago Bears, that’s kind of who you think of,” Jones said. “To see that number out in practice and stuff, it just lets everybody think, ‘Oh, that’s Brian Urlacher’s number.’”
Urlacher’s No. 54 jersey remains one of the most popular jerseys in the stands for home games at Soldier Field. The five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018, but his jersey number is not retired.
The Bears already have a league-record 14 numbers retired. The franchise hasn’t retired a number during a halftime ceremony in 2013.
Logan Jones is a rookie center and the team's second-round draft pick, significant for being the first player to wear No. 54 since Brian Urlacher.
Wearing No. 54 carries historical significance as it was previously worn by Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, symbolizing a connection to the team's legacy.
The last player to wear No. 54 for the Chicago Bears was Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher.
Tony Medlin is the team's director of equipment and has been with the Bears since 1987, helping players with jersey numbers and equipment.
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At the time, team Chairman George McCaskey said the Bears intended for Ditka’s number to be the team’s final jersey retirement.
With 14 numbers prohibited for current players, the Bears already struggle to find enough numbers when training camp begins with a 90-man roster. A few players each year have to share a number during camp. It’s less of a problem during the regular season, but 14 retired numbers still limits the options quite a bit.
So Urlacher’s 54 remains available, although nobody has worn it since his final season. The Bears did communicate with Urlacher before offering No. 54 as an option for Jones. Urlacher was on board with the rookie center using his old number. Jones and Urlacher have not met, but Jones said he hopes to meet him one day.
“It’s kind of supporting his memory and letting everybody see the legacy he left,” Jones said Friday during rookie minicamp. “So to be able to wear that number is really cool, and hopefully I get the chance to meet him one day too.”
Jones will be certain to see plenty of No. 54 jerseys in the stands when he plays his first game at Soldier Field later this year.
The Bears hope Jones can be a fixture of their offensive line for years to come. The franchise has been trying to find a consistent presence at the center position since longtime center Olin Kreutz last played for the team in 2010.
The Bears thought they had an answer when they signed veteran free agent Drew Dalman last year. But Dalman, a Pro Bowl selection in 2025, elected to step away from football and retire with two years remaining on his contract.
Thus, the Bears found themselves looking for a new center yet again. In a two-pronged approach, the team traded for veteran Garrett Bradbury in March and drafted Jones a month later.
The plan is for Bradbury to begin as the starter, but the expectation is that the job eventually will belong to Jones. It’s just a matter of when. The center position has a lot of responsibilities in coach Ben Johnson’s offense, and learning all of the protections will be a challenge for a rookie center.
On top of that, he’ll need to build a rapport with quarterback Caleb Williams, to whom he will be snapping the football.
“Time will tell,” Johnson said when asked when Jones will be ready. “The ball is in his court as far as I’m concerned. He understands that, just like with everyone else, we’re looking to create competition and consistency day after day and building trust, not only with Caleb and the other quarterbacks, but within that offensive line room and then obviously with the coaching staff. It’s just a matter of time to build trust.”
Added Jones: “It’s very challenging. You’ve got to go out and earn everything.”
If all goes to plan, Jones will be snapping to Williams for many years — and Jones will be doing it in the iconic No. 54 jersey.