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The New England Patriots answered one of the biggest mysteries on their offensive line by signing veteran center Garrett Bradbury on Tuesday.
It's a move that came less than a week after the team's shocking decision to move on from longtime center David Andrews. There were other options for the team, including moving Cole Strange to center, starting Ben Brown for another year or drafting a young player to take the reins at the position.
However, the Patriots went the veteran route in signing Bradbury, a former first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Did they make the right move?
Here's our initial grade of the signing:
The Patriots adding Bradbury to the mix is an obvious upgrade over what they would have had if they went into the season as currently constructed. They needed to fill the center position after releasing Andrews, and they managed to do so with a veteran starter.
That's a win, no matter how you slice it.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows with Bradbury. If that were the case, the Minnesota Vikings would have worked toward an extension instead of running for the door when his contract was up.
The veteran offensive lineman ranked amongst the worst pass-blockers in the league at his position last season. Protecting the quarterback was a major problem for the Patriots heading into the offseason, and they didn't do much to fix that issue with this signing.
With that said, this was their best option if they were moving away from Andrews. Strange doesn't have many reps at center, and Brown was too inconsistent to rely on as a starter.
Bradbury was solid in run-blocking last season considering he ranked 14th out of 64 centers with a 70.7 Pro Football Focus grade. Perhaps he can improve elements of his game in New England with Doug Marrone as his new offensive line coach.
And who knows? Maybe the offensive line wizard himself, Dante Scarnecchia will pay him a visit as well.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 2025 free agency: Grading the Patriots signing of C Garrett Bradbury
Continue reading...
It's a move that came less than a week after the team's shocking decision to move on from longtime center David Andrews. There were other options for the team, including moving Cole Strange to center, starting Ben Brown for another year or drafting a young player to take the reins at the position.
However, the Patriots went the veteran route in signing Bradbury, a former first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Did they make the right move?
Here's our initial grade of the signing:
Contract details
- Two-year, $12 million deal with $3.8 million in guaranteed money
Grade: B-
The Patriots adding Bradbury to the mix is an obvious upgrade over what they would have had if they went into the season as currently constructed. They needed to fill the center position after releasing Andrews, and they managed to do so with a veteran starter.
That's a win, no matter how you slice it.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows with Bradbury. If that were the case, the Minnesota Vikings would have worked toward an extension instead of running for the door when his contract was up.
The veteran offensive lineman ranked amongst the worst pass-blockers in the league at his position last season. Protecting the quarterback was a major problem for the Patriots heading into the offseason, and they didn't do much to fix that issue with this signing.
With that said, this was their best option if they were moving away from Andrews. Strange doesn't have many reps at center, and Brown was too inconsistent to rely on as a starter.
Bradbury was solid in run-blocking last season considering he ranked 14th out of 64 centers with a 70.7 Pro Football Focus grade. Perhaps he can improve elements of his game in New England with Doug Marrone as his new offensive line coach.
And who knows? Maybe the offensive line wizard himself, Dante Scarnecchia will pay him a visit as well.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 2025 free agency: Grading the Patriots signing of C Garrett Bradbury
Continue reading...
