Longtime Vikings Starter Could Be on the Chopping Block
The Minnesota Vikings have been active in free agency, pretty much universally drawing praise for their actions. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and brought back Byron Murphy Jr. on Monday before going on a spending spree on Tuesday to solidify the trenches.
Longtime Vikings Starter Could Be on the Chopping Block
On Monday, he agreed to terms with center Ryan Kelly, formerly of the Colts, followed by the additions of defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave as well as guard Will Fries, who is familiar with Kelly, on Tuesday.
New players always demote someone on the depth chart, and one prominent offensive lineman can’t be happy about the investments. Garrett Bradbury, the starting center in the Twin Cities for six seasons, is suddenly confronting an uncertain future.
Drafted in 2019, Bradbury immediately clinched the starting center position over Pat Elflein, who was then moved to guard. Since then, he has been the man in the middle of the line.
Skol Nation has been adamant about replacing him for years, but the club has stuck with its former first-round pick. The undersized center has struggled against powerful defenders. While he is a fantastic reach blocker in the zone running scheme, his issues in pass protection have been evident throughout the years.
His PFF resume indicates an average or below-average center:
- 2019: 57.8 (28th of 35 centers)
- 2020: 61.4 (25th/36)
- 2021: 60.2 (29th/39)
- 2022: 67.5 (11th/36)
- 2023: 60.9 (23rd/36)
- 2024: 62.8 (27th/40)
At this point in his career, after six seasons and at 29 (he will turn 30 in June), it’s unlikely that there will be an improvement in the future.
The question now is, what should the Vikings do with the veteran?
The first look should be at his contract and if they can get out of it. He is under contract for one more campaign with a base salary of $4.9 million and a cap hit of about $6 million. By releasing him, the franchise can save roughly $3.6 million. The same would be true if Bradbury is traded.
The next step is to check the trade market. The NFL is a league with offensive line problems all over the place, and the Vikings are short on draft capital in 2025 and 2026. Bradbury is cheap and at least a competent center, although not a great one, that a handful of teams could use, and they might be willing to spend a late-round draft pick or a pick swap for his services.
Another option could be to move Bradbury to guard, where he briefly played in college. That was almost a decade ago, however, and the NFL is not college. The Vikings fixed one guard spot by signing Will Fries; the other one would be, barring more additions, handled by last year’s starter Blake Brandel or benched right guard Ed Ingram.
Neither was significantly worse at guard than Bradbury was at center, and his size might even play a bigger role at guard. Between the lack of guard experience, the size, and the at least not horrendous guard solution on the team, moving him to guard doesn’t seem to be the way to deal with the situation.
The next option would be a release. If the club needs the cap space now, a release could be imminent, but they could also wait for training camp, try the guard idea, and potentially release him in the summer if it’s not working.
And another way, at least on paper: Keep Bradbury as a backup lineman. Kelly missed some time with injuries in the last two seasons, and the savings Bradbury’s departure would bring don’t move the needle too much. Another unlikely scenario. Letting him pursue a starting role elsewhere is a more Vikings-like way.
Bradbury, soon 30 years old, doesn’t have much of a future in the Twin Cities. Considering his cuttable deal and the newly arriving replacement, it would be pretty surprising to see him stay on the roster much longer.
The center has played in 88 games with the Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
The Complex Puzzle Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is Now Navigating a Piece at a Time
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt