The Future for Garrett Bradbury
Kirby O'Connor
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When he was drafted 18th overall in 2019, Garrett Bradbury was supposed the be the glue of the Minnesota Vikings “new look” offensive line. He was an incredible athlete with intelligence in spades. Perhaps a bit slight as a former tight end, but that’s exactly what the Vikings wanted in their zone run scheme.
Now, after three seasons as the center of Minnesota’s line, Bradbury’s future is uncertain. 2021 was the first time that he missed significant time since entering the NFL. During his time off the field, Bradbury was spelled by Mason Cole, who was acquired from Arizona via trade earlier in 2021.
Cole did a serviceable job and even seemed like an upgrade. Despite this, Bradbury found his way back into his starting role and played all offensive snaps in weeks 13-18. During this time, Cole still played but was slid to Bradbury’s side at guard.
Garrett Bradbury grades as Pro Football Focus‘ 31st overall center in 2021. His run blocking grade is a middling 66.9, while his pass blocking grade is an abysmal 43.7. According to PFF, he only allowed two sacks, but take that number with a grain of salt as the system for sacks allowed is by no means perfect, especially when it comes to the interior of the Vikings offensive line.
Quite possibly the final bright spot of his tenure in Minnesota came in Green Bay when he caught a batted pass and advanced it into the redzone. This would be the Vikings best play of the night, but that isn’t saying much, as they were pounded 37-10.
The Vikings will need to make a decision on Garrett Bradbury by early May when they will need to decide whether to exercise his fifth year option. Exercising that option could be seen as preferable to trying to find the answer at center while figuring out the rest of the roster. Even if the team decides to not exercise that option, Bradbury is not out of the building automatically.
The Vikings new management, which has yet to be determined, could see him as a decent bridge while they focus on building a better foundation. However, if the new regime feels that they need to revamp the offensive line we could see him out of Minnesota sooner than later. At just 26 (will be 27 by the start of next season) Bradbury still could hold a small amount of trade value.
If Minnesota moves on from Garrett Bradbury, it could be a sign that Mason Cole’s time to capture the starting center spot is at hand. Or the Vikings could go searching for the long-term answer via the mid-late rounds of the draft or through undrafted free agents. Either way, I sincerely hope that new management doesn’t try to fix the offensive line with another undersized center in the first three rounds of the draft.
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