Jan 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) before the snap against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings Week 16 injury report doesn’t look too horrendous, but one man will be absent from the offensive line.
That’s Garrett Bradbury, who will miss a third consecutive game after encountering a back injury against the New York Jets in Week 13. Reservist center Austin Schlottmann is expected to start in Bradbury’s place.
The Vikings host the New York Giants on Christmas Eve, a team with an atrocious run defense. So as the Vikings may get away with life-without-Bradbury on the ground, Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence lining up against the aforementioned Schlottmann is less than ideal against the pass. Lawrence possesses a blistering 91.7 Pro Football Focus grade in 2022 and could be a gamebreaker sans Bradbury.
And if all of this “what will they do without Bradbury?” chatter is odd, well, that’s understandable. Bradbury wasn’t necessarily a hot commodity in 2019, 2020, or 2021, but his performance turned around with the arrival of Kevin O’Connell in January and a new coaching staff. PFF grades Bradbury at 70.2 through 15 weeks of 2022, with a 68.1 pass-blocking score, a tremendous improvement from any of his first three seasons. Put simply — Bradbury wasn’t very good from 2019 to 2021 but appears to be the real deal now.
Schlottmann, who joined the Vikings as a free agent in March after three seasons with the Denver Broncos, has a 47.2 PFF score this season. However, the 27-year-old is a better pass blocker (58.7) than run supporter (47.2), which is rather odd for the Vikings because most of their offensive trenchman specialize in run-blocking, at least over the last few years.
In missing his third consecutive game, Bradbury loses valuable snaps in a contract year. Minnesota declined his 1st-Round fifth-year option last spring, meaning the North Carolina State alumnus will hit free agency in March if a deal isn’t reached with the Vikings. In fairness to the franchise, though, Bradbury’s fifth-year option was around $13 million, and few general managers would wrap up a center at that price. Still, nine months ago, Bradbury seemed like a player who would depart in 2023 while fans said, “Oh, well.” But with his career mini-renaissance, lamenting Bradbury’s possible exodus could be on the docket. We shall see.
The Vikings are favored by four points to take care of the Giants on Saturday. Minnesota will face a familiar face on New York’s sideline in Andre Patterson. He was the Vikings defensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021 but ventured to the Giants when ex-skipper Mike Zimmer was fired. Patterson coaches the Giants defensive line.
Bradbury was also involved in a minor car accident after the Vikings won over the Indianapolis Colts last weekend.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).