The Minnesota Vikings have had their share of offensive line problems over the years, and one of the biggest scapegoats was Garrett Bradbury.
A first-round pick in the 2019 draft, Bradbury was known for his intelligence and athletic ability, but his tendency to get thrown around by bigger, stronger defenders kept him from becoming a long-term solution at the position.
Bradbury has since found his way to the Chicago Bears, and it gives Sunday’s matchup some intrigue in the trenches.
While you could do worse than Bradbury, he also has flaws that the Vikings' defensive front could take advantage of, and it could help the Vikings be on the other end of his struggles and slow down Ben Johnson’s high-powered offense.
Garrett Bradbury’s flaws kept him from becoming the center the Vikings needed
Selected by Rick Spielman seven years ago, Bradbury was supposed to be the answer to the Vikings’ problems at center.
Minnesota sent long-time starter John Sullivan packing ahead of the 2016 season, and after using Joe Berger and Pat Elflein at the position over the next three seasons, Bradbury was considered the top prospect in the 2019 class, earning the nickname “The Grim Reacher” and earning comparison to Jason Kelce and Ryan Kalil from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.
“This is the best center in the draft and one of the best to come out in the last handful of years.
I call him the ‘Grim Reacher’ because I’ve never seen somebody reach more guys in the run game than what Garrett Bradbury does.
He is outstanding with his quickness. You think about the guys he reminds you of, you go back and look at Jason Kelce and Ryan Kalil, he is that type of center. The quickness is off the charts.”
While Bradbury has elite quickness, his strength caused flaws in pass protection. It appeared from his first game as a Viking, posting a 0.0 pass-blocking grade according to PFF.
Former Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark also threw Bradbury around in the same way that bullies take lunch money from smaller kids on the playground, and he finished in the top five in quarterback pressures allowed in five of his six seasons with the Vikings, according to PFF.
After leading all centers with 38 pressures allowed in 2024, the Vikings released Bradbury before he signed with the New England Patriots.
Although he finished with just 20 pressures and no sacks allowed during the regular season, he regressed during New England’s loss in the Super Bowl, allowing six pressures, with a sack, and a penalty against the Seattle Seahawks pass rush.
That performance earned Bradbury a trade to the Bears last offseason, and while his debut wasn’t disastrous, he still allowed a pair of pressures with a penalty on 38 pass-blocking snaps in the win over the Panthers.
Vikings could enjoy being on the other end of Garrett Bradbury’s struggles in Week 2
This should have the Vikings’ defensive line salivating on Sunday. The interior of that unit has been a struggle in recent years, but it was one of the brightest spots of the defense in last week’s win over the Packers.
Levi Drake Rodriguez shined with three pressures and a sack in the win, but Jalen Redmond also managed a pair of pressures while rookie Domonique Orange came up with a key stop in the fourth quarter.
There are still some concerns with Bradbury, as he was part of a Bears offensive line that cleared the way for D’Andre Swift to run for 124 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Panthers. But PFF also suggested that it wasn’t because of his dominance, with a 51.3 run-blocking grade on 35 snaps.
After limiting the Packers – albeit without Josh Jacobs – to 66 yards last week, the Vikings could slow down the Bears on the ground, and they know exactly where to attack.
The Vikings have had their own issues at center since Bradbury left, as Ryan Kelly battled concussions and Blake Brandel has struggled to learn his new position. But that could be forgotten if Bradbury dusts off some of the memories that Vikings fans have of him.
In a matchup where weak links could be the difference, Bradbury could be one of them, and it could help Minnesota flip the script in a pivotal NFC North matchup.
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