The Minnesota Vikings will be without their starting center in Week 2 when the team plays the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.
In the season opener against the Tampa Bau Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury exited the game due to a back injury and did not return to action. He will not be ready for action on a short week when the team plays on Thursday Night Football.
The Vikings recently released their injury report for the upcoming game and it includes three players. Bradbury is ruled out while left tackle Christian Darrisaw and edge rusher Marcus Davenport are questionable with ankle injuries.
Here is the final Minnesota Vikings injury report as shared on X showing the statuses of those players:
Final #MINvsPHI injury report pic.twitter.com/AjpG168E5M
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2023
What does this mean for the Minnesota Vikings?
With Garrett Bradbury ruled out, Austin Schlottmann is in line to get the starting nod on Thursday Night Football. He came in for Bradbury in Week 1. He will play at center between Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram.
The interior of Minnesota's offensive line was questionable to start with but this injury to Bradbury makes the group even more vulnerable against a stout Philadelphia Eagles defensive front that could give the Vikings major problems.
At this time, it isn't known exactly how much time Garrett Bradbury will miss or what his availability will be for Week 3. However, it should be a little concerning that the purple and gold lack serious depth on the interior of the offensive line.
Currently, the Vikings don't have another player on the 53-man roster with NFL experience at center. That means that things could get very ugly if something happens and Schlottmann is forced out of the game.
Don't be surprised if a player is elevated from the practice squad or signed out of free agency to act as an emergency option at center until Bradbury can return. For now, the hope is that Schlottmann can play well and fill in until he is no longer needed in that role.
The Minnesota Vikings are a mostly-healthy team heading into Week 2's Thursday Night Football game on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, they will miss having the services of Garrett Bradbury available for the prime-time contest.