Part of the New England Patriots’ 2025 offseason rebuild was focused on the offensive line as the front office constructed an entirely new starting five for quarterback Drake Maye to work behind. In doing so, this included starting two rookies on the left side in Will Campbell (LT) and Jared Wilson (LG). Campbell, the fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft, will remain at left tackle for next season, as head coach Mike Vrabel already announced during his final press conference of the season. But Wilson may be the one to have his versatility tested along the offensive line for 2026.
Wilson was drafted as a center and was a top-100 pick in the third round. He was the best center in the 2025 draft, and it was considered a steal when the Patriots drafted him at 95th overall. However, as the team's rookie minicamp progressed and the preseason began, Wilson was slotted at guard, and it was clear that New England would stick with him there and start two rookies on the left side. They went on to start every game they played, including the playoffs and the Super Bowl, becoming the first two rookies to start on the offensive line in the biggest game of them all.
It’s worth mentioning that the Patriots did sign veteran free agent center Garrett Bradbury in March of 2025 after he was released from the Minnesota Vikings. Bradbury was appealing to New England as a veteran center who had started every game of his career as an option to help protect Maye, despite coming off a down year with Minnesota. In the end, it’s unknown if Wilson was actually ever a true option for New England at center, considering that Bradbury was signed before they drafted Wilson. That said, Bradbury had a phenomenal season, and he should remain at center for next season.
Wilson May Be Patriots’ Future Center, but Should Remain at Guard Next Season
Although Wilson might be a center by trade, he spent his entire rookie season as a guard. He didn’t have the best grades, per Pro Football Focus, ranking him as one of the worst guards in the NFL, but the overall numbers weren’t that bad. Wilson allowed only seven hits and four sacks on 28 total pressures, and he only had three penalties.
There were 16 offensive linemen drafted ahead of Wilson; he played more than five of them and has a higher approximate value than 10 of them, per Pro Football Reference. Wilson would have gone on to start and play in every game this season if he hadn’t had injuries in the latter half of the year. Despite that, he started every game in the playoffs. The postseason is a much different beast than the regular season, but with the 13 games that Wilson competed in during the team's 17-game slate, plus the four in the playoffs, that comes to a 17-game season in all.
For Wilson to take over the center position, he’s going to have to beat Bradbury for the job, which seems unlikely considering that the veteran is entering his eighth season and has started in every game of his career at center. That said, if Wilson were to win the center position job, where does that leave Bradbury, who has never played anything other than center? Although there’s a potential out with Bradbury’s contract that turns the remaining amount into only $1.2 million in dead cap, there’s really no reason to move on from him at this point. For what it’s worth, Bradbury didn’t allow any sacks or commit any penalties in 1,070 snaps, per PFF.
It would be wise to continue developing Wilson at guard while Bradbury remains the anchor at center in 2026. While speaking to the local media at the NFL Combine on Wednesday, Vrabel was asked this very question about Wilson possibly transitioning to center next season, and his answer wasn’t any different than you’d expect in saying that the team has asked him to prepare as a starter.
“We’re going to try to play with our best five and we’re going to try to put our players in the best situation for them. Sometimes we also ask them to maybe do what’s best for the football team in order to get the best five. … Jared worked at both positions, we asked him to prepare as a starter each week as center even though he didn’t have to. So I’m sure he’ll do the same thing when we start on April 20th," Vrabel replied.
It comes down to the saying of "if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it" in the case of the offensive line. Bradbury had a phenomenal first year as the Patriots’ starting center, and with him being under contract for another season, why not just let him continue to thrive? It seems it would be best for New England to continue developing Wilson as a guard after he just completed 17 games as the team’s starter as a rookie. It also gives Maye some semblance of consistency along the offensive line.