Replacing Garrett Bradbury at center is simple in principle for the Vikings but one difficult caveat remains
Free agency is less than a week away and the Minnesota Vikings have a lot of decisions to make. The first one is at quarterback. Sam Darnold is likely to hit free agency, as the franchise tag was not placed on him, meaning the likelihood of J.J. McCarthy being the starting quarterback in 2025 is […]
Free agency is less than a week away and the Minnesota Vikings have a lot of decisions to make.
The first one is at quarterback. Sam Darnold is likely to hit free agency, as the franchise tag was not placed on him, meaning the likelihood of J.J. McCarthy being the starting quarterback in 2025 is very high.
Other than quarterback, there are plenty of areas that the Vikings need to address. From the secondary to the interior pass rush, there are a lot of areas that need to be fixed, especially the interior of the offensive line.
Why replacing Garrett Bradbury isn't a simple proposition
When you look at the interior of the offensive line for the Vikings, it's often the guard spots that get the most attention. Blake Brandel and the duo of Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner saw a fair amount of struggles so they got the most attention. However, the struggles of Garrett Bradbury have persisted throughout his six years with the Vikings.
When they selected Bradbury in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Vikings were making a switch to a wide zone system under Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak. His scouting report coming out essentially said he was a perfect fit and a readymade starter. While he did start right away, the results weren't what you expected.
The six years of Bradbury have been marred with pass protection issues. Being such a great athlete at the position has left some flaws, mainly with his core strength and anchor. Far too often, Bradbury has been driven back by defensive tackles and forklifted off the ball. That element has fans livid, and it's one of the reasons why the Vikings struggled so much in the final two games of the season.
Those elements have had many begging for the Vikings to replace Bradbury for years. He's entering the final year of his contract with just over a $6 million cap hit. It's a fair number for a player of his caliber, but that hasn't stopped fans from wanting a change.
There is one problem with finding a change: is there anyone who's a certain upgrade?
That's the tough element to answer, especially since finding an upgrade is two fold: not only do they need to be better, but the contract needs to match it. The popular name is Drew Dalman from the Atlanta Falcons. He is also a wide/outside zone center but his flaws are very similar to Bradbury's, especially when it comes to pass blocking. Is that worth paying up to $18 million/year to potentially experience the same issues?
What about Ryan Kelly from the Indianapolis Colts? He would obviously be a nice addition, but Kelly is 32 years old and coming off a couple injury plagued seasons. If you can't trust him to be on the field, is he worth giving a sizable contract to?
Then you have the draft class. There are some talented centers in this class, but the only one who would be worth selecting that would be a starter year one is North Dakota State's Grey Zabel. Are we sure that going the round one route is the smartest path? That's what the Vikings did with Bradbury and it didn't work out. Plus, not taking advantage of the defensive tackle and secondary classes in the first round would feel like a mistake.
When you look at the entire situation, Bradbury is an average center with a more than palatable contract with the salary cap. Replacing him is a fine proposition, but you can't just scream into the void that he needs to be replaced, you need to have a plan. Otherwise, replacing him isn't good process.
Plus, there is the element of pass protection scheme. The center makes all the calls and Bradbury will be entering the fourth season in this system, an element of experience that cannot be overstated
Don't be alarmed if they choose not to move on from Bradbury this offseason, he's an average center with an average contract and no guarantee of a better option. With a poor center free agency and draft class, it's arguably smarter to hold fort and address it next year.