The New England Patriots rebuilt their offensive line in the offseason by signing two free agents and drafting two rookies. One of those free agents is center Garrett Bradbury, who joined the Patriots with the hope that it'd be a career-saving move.
Bradbury became available in the offseason because the Minnesota Vikings thought that his career was on the decline after what was a down year for him across the board in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.
- 48.2 pass-blocking (55th out of 64 centers)
- 70.7 run-blocking (14th out of 64 centers)
- 62.1 overall (33rd out of 64 centers)
As a result, the Vikings released Bradbury after they were unable to find a trade partner and then replaced him by signing Ryan Kelly in free agency. Fortunately, Minnesota's blunder has become New England's gain as the veteran center has completely exceeded expectations through four games.
Garrett Bradbury Is Proving Doubters Wrong in 1st Year with Patriots
Bradbury had a rough start to training camp, but he continued to work and improve and was named the Week 1 starting center for the Patriots. The decision to use him as a starter is paying off for head coach Mike Vrabel & Co., leaving time to tell if the best is yet to come.
So far, though, Bradbury is ranked as one of the top centers in the NFL. He hasn't allowed any sacks, hits, or committed any penalties in 254 offensive snaps, which ranks first in the NFL after four weeks. As for his PFF grades:
- 73.1 pass-blocking (5th out of 48 centers)
- 53.2 run-blocking (42nd out of 48 centers)
- 60.3 overall (20th out of 48 centers)
Bradbury arrived in New England needing to improve as a pass-blocker to better protect the second-year franchise quarterback Drake Maye. But it's his run-blocking that took a big hit from last year, while the pass-blocking improved immensely. That said, the Patriots are struggling to get the run game going, averaging only 101.3 rushing yards per game (25th) and 2.3 yards before contact after four weeks.
I mention this because I haven’t noticed that the struggles in the run game are solely linked to Bradbury. In fact, only two of the five starting offensive linemen have run-blocking grades above 60 from PFF.
- Will Campbell: 64.3 (42nd out of 108 tackles)
- Jared Wilson: 50.2 (85th out of 102 guards)
- Garrett Bradbury: 53.2 (42nd out of 48 centers)
- Mike Onwenu: 59.6 (50th out of 102 guards)
- Morgan Moses: 67.2 (34th out of 109 tackles)
Bradbury received a lot of criticism in the offseason after he was released by Minnesota, and it carried on in training camp after he signed with New England. He's since gone from zero to hero, proving his doubters wrong while being one of only two players who have played 100% of the offensive snaps this season.
Sometimes, a fresh start is all a player needs to get back on track, and Bradbury deserves to be recognized for coming to New England as a true professional and earning himself another starting job after being written off.