When it came to Pro Football Focus ’ 31st-ranked offensive line this past season, author Zoltán Buday had this to say. He spoke about the Seattle Seahawks’ combination of left tackle Charles Cross and left guard Laken Tomlinson playing all 1,094 snap. Meanwhile, he also went on to state “there were a lot of moving parts on the rest of the unit. For example, center Connor Williams retired during the season…”
Williams started the first nine games before walking away, and second-year pro Olu Oluwatimi was the club’s starting pivot the remainder of 2024. Could Seahawks’ general manager John Schneider take a hard look at a six-year center who was just released by the team that made him a first-round pick in 2019?
It was no surprise that Garrett Bradbury wasn’t going to return to Minnesota. There were numerous reports the team was trying to trade him. Last week, the Vikings signed veteran center Ryan Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler who was the Colts’ primary center the past nine seasons.
In 2024, Bradburry started every game for Kevin O’Connell’s team. What a coincidence. So did quarterback Sam Darnold, who is now a member of Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks. Last week, with the news of Bradbury’s potential availability, Seattle Sports’ Brock (Huard) and Mike Salk spoke with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The latter said that the six-year center was “a name that would that would potentially make some sense” in Seattle.
Meanwhile, Huard (a former collegiate and NFL quarterback) took it several steps forward in terms of Bradbury. “Sam just loved playing with him last year in Minnesota. And you know what I love? QB/center interaction. I love (the former Seahawks’ pairing of) Max Unger/Russell Wilson. I love (another former Seahawks’ pairing of) Robbie Tobeck/Matt Hasselbeck. I loved Olin Kreutz being my center (at the University of Washington).
“When you find that security blanket," added Huard, "it’s kind of like a pitcher and catcher, quite honestly. With (the Mariners’) Cal Raleigh and these young pitchers, they love working with him. And when you can find a center that knows the system, that can communicate right alongside you, it just takes some of the ease and some of the burden off of you. When you love the way he snaps the ball to you, when you guys are simpatico, it’s a good thing.”
It’s a move that has no-brainer written all over it. There’s obviously rapport between Darnold and Bradbury, and the latter doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear over six seasons. The rest of the week should be extremely interesting for Schneider and Macdonald.
