Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury is reportedly performing really poorly during the team’s first training camp under new head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Three years ago, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to use their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on former North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury.
The hope was that Bradbury would develop into someone who could take control of the middle of Minnesota’s offensive line for the next decade. Unfortunately for the Vikings and the young blocker, nothing has really gone according to plan since he was drafted.
Bradbury has been one of the worst starting centers in the NFL since his first season in 2019 and it doesn’t appear as if things have gotten any better with a new coaching staff in Minnesota this year.
Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury having a “disastrous” training camp this summer
During a recent appearance on SKOR North’s “Before We Die” podcast, The Athletic’s Arif Hasan shared what he has seen from Bradbury during Minnesota’s training camp this year.
"“Bradbury’s been having, in my eyes, a really disastrous camp for him. He’s never really had a great training camp, which is not a shock given how he’s played in the regular season. But this is perhaps the most disastrous it’s been for him.”"
While the Vikings’ new regime has been correct about several decisions this year, their choice not to bring in a veteran offensive lineman with legitimate center experience to compete with Bradbury already looks like it’s coming back to bite them.
Minnesota’s other possibility at center appears to be Chris Reed, someone who has never taken a snap at the center position in an NFL regular season game.
To say this could turn into a big problem for the Vikings is a giant understatement as Minnesota doesn’t have much time to figure out who is going to be their starting center against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
Right now though, the answer to their problem is seeming less and less likely that it will be Bradbury.