The New England Patriots landed more offensive line help on Tuesday that’ll give them flexibility and stability in crafting their starting front five.
According to a league source, the team agreed to a two-year deal with center Garrett Bradbury, a 2019 first-round pick who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. Bradbury has struggled to live up to the first-round billing and has had issues blocking bigger defensive tackles, but he is an undersized and athletic center who moves well.
Here’s a breakdown of what Bradbury brings to the Patriots.
How he fits
The Vikings initially drafted Bradbury amid their switch to a wide-zone rushing scheme, given how important it is in that offense to have linemen who can run well. Bradbury played in college at NC State and shined in a game against Clemson (who then had a stacked D-line), which impressed then-Vikings general manager Rick Spielman enough to use the No. 18 overall pick on the center. That could be a sign that the Patriots will continue using zone rushing concepts even with Josh McDaniels back at offensive coordinator.
Bradbury was released by the Vikings earlier on Tuesday and quickly agreed to a deal with the Patriots. New England was quick to sign him after cutting veteran David Andrews, so we can pencil Bradbury in as the probable starting center.
While Bradbury runs well, he’s undersized (6-foot-3) and has a history of struggling against bigger, stronger defensive tackles. It’s part of why he allowed 21 pressures in the Vikings’ final two games last season, contests that prompted Minnesota to seek a bigger interior O-line in free agency and cut Bradbury.
But the Patriots didn’t have any better options, and Bradbury’s addition offers flexibility for left guard, which leads us to …
One potential Patriots O-line:
LT: Vederian Lowe / first-round pick
LG: Cole Strange
C: Garrett Bradbury
RG: Mike Onwenu
RT: Morgan Moses— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) March 18, 2025
2025 impact
Without Bradbury, the Patriots were likely to consider putting former first-round pick Cole Strange at center. But now that Bradbury is in the fold, they can keep Strange at left guard even if he’s not guaranteed to start. They can have him compete with Layden Robinson and potentially someone else they draft.
That still leaves a massive hole at left tackle where the Patriots’ best current option is Vederian Lowe. That will be the biggest question and issue for the Patriots as the draft nears.
Bradbury’s signing is similar to the addition of Morgan Moses at right tackle in the stability it provides. Neither Bradbury nor Moses is likely to yield above-average play (or maybe even average play). But they rarely miss games and offer stability and veteran leadership to a New England offensive line that was constantly stuck playing different combinations last season.
It also reflects how difficult it is to revamp an offensive line in one offseason. So for now, the Patriots are adding stability — even if it’s not in the form of top-end talent.
Cap update
Bradbury’s deal comes with $3.8 million guaranteed, and it’s unclear yet whether any of that is in 2026, so it’s likely the Patriots could get out of the deal in a year if they want.
Regardless, the salary cap hasn’t been an issue for the Patriots at any point this offseason and won’t be going forward. They have plenty of space for more additions if they so choose.
Outlook
The most likely outcome is still drafting a left tackle in the first round and then putting that rookie next to Strange at left guard, Bradbury at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard, and Moses at right tackle.
That’s probably still a below-average NFL offensive line, but it’s one that should at least provide stability after the chaos of a year ago. So while it’s still a long way from the kind of group you’d want protecting Drake Maye, it is a (baby) step in the right direction.
