The Vikings Belief in Garrett Bradbury Has Paid Off
During the 2019 NFL Draft the Minnesota Vikings spent their 18th overall pick on center Garrett Bradbury out of NC State. For the first couple of years as a professional there was time given to consider development. When things hadn’t gotten better last year, a change looked to be necessary coming into training camp. However, the Vikings belief in Garrett Bradbury seems to have paid off in 2022.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1211359″ player=”26281″ title=”A%20Look%20at%20the%20Giants%20in%20Week%2016″ duration=”2180″ description=”The Bleav in Vikings crew chats Vikings-Giants upcoming in Week 16.” uploaddate=”2022-12-22″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/snapshot/1211359_th_1671734260.jpg” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/sd/1211359.mp4″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
This season, Garrett Bradbury entered training camp with veteran guard Chris Reed being a potential option to take his job. Despite never having consistently worked as a center before, Reed was going to be in consideration for the role. Bradbury had plenty of tape that made him look like a turnstile up front, and with the Vikings needing more from their offensive line, that was a fair place to start.
Fast forward to where we are now, and the belief from O’Connell as well as the work by Bradbury has paid off in a massive way. Despite having now been out for three weeks due to a back injury (that was aggravated in a minor car accident this week), Bradbury’s presence (or lack thereof) has consistently been felt. Minnesota’s offensive line has taken considerable steps forward, and while that’s largely because of how good left tackle Christian Darrisaw has been, Bradbury has held his own as well.
In fact, Bradbury has performed so admirably this season that he’s in consideration for a Pro Bowl spot should alternates be needed.
From where he was a year ago to being the second alternate for a season long award is nothing short of exceptional. So much has been made about what O’Connell could bring to Minnesota offensively, but it’s the immeasurables that are likely making the greatest difference. The way in which the first year head coach leads and empowers is not something that can be quantified by numbers, but is clearly reflected in the Vikings win total and how they’ve fought this season.
Bradbury, similar to plenty of teammates around him, was seen as little more than a lost cause by this point under the last regime. Obviously, the play on the field dictated some of those feelings, but nothing about the coaching or reinforcement did anything to build guys for better. Now in the midst of a season where a division has been won and playoff games are on the line, Bradbury is at the center of improvement.
Although it has been less than ideal to see backup Andrew Schlottmann take reps the past few games, it also highlights just how much Bradbury has grown as a player this season. Rather than sticking out similarly to how Schlottmann has at times, Bradbury has been front and center for a line that has taken their production to the next level.
Dalvin Cook hasn’t been a significant beneficiary of the improved offensive line through the running game, but his production and that of the offense as a whole has increased. Justin Jefferson is on the verge of a historical year because of the time Kirk Cousins has been afforded. Minnesota has one of the better offenses in the league because the line is allowing plays to develop.
The hope would be that Bradbury never plays in the Pro Bowl as he’s too busy playing for a Super Bowl, but to be in the conversation at all considering where he came from, is nothing short of amazing.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.