Garrett Bradbury Issues Stark Warning about Vikings
Garrett Bradbury is back in the Twin Cities — as the opposition.
Ex-Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury issued a warning to his new squad about what to expect from his old team as the 2025 NFL season approaches.
The Minnesota Vikings released their longtime center in March, and he promptly signed with the New England Patriots, snapping the ball to quarterback Drake Maye on Sundays.
And because of ironic scheduling for Bradbury, his team will square off against the Vikings this week in Eagan at joint practices, setting the stage for a preseason game on Saturday.
Along the way, Bradbury issued a warning to his new teammates: Minnesota’s defense doesn’t mess around.
Garrett Bradbury is Back in the Twin Cities, and He’s Seen This Movie Before
It’s Minnesota and New England for joint practices this week.
Garrett Bradbury Tells Teammates to Be Ready for Vikings Defense
Minnesota pulled Bradbury from Round 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he became an immediate starter for the Vikings. Six years later, he’s a Patriot.
Bradbury issued this warning ahead of joint practices, “I’ve seen some offenses come in there for joint practice with not a lot of game-plan and it’s an absolute disaster for them. You have to game-plan.”
“It will be a good battle. It’s unique because we’re not going to see that every Sunday all year, but there’s little things and wrinkles with this defense where it’s, ‘all right, let’s have an answer for this, let’s go back to our pass protection rules.’ It will be a good test.”
It’s worth noting that Minnesota’s defense did not look particularly solid in the first preseason game when some starters saw action. Most assumed that defensive coordinator Brian Flores brought a vanilla approach.
Bradbury also added, “It’s crazy; when I first signed here and found out they were going to Minnesota for joint practice. It will be great to see all the former guys.”
“This business is about relationships and so being there for six years — whether it’s guys in the equipment room, the weight room, operations guys, most importantly, the guys in the locker room — I have a lot of friends there. It will be good to see them, and at the same time, compete and get that much closer to Week 1.”
Six Years with the Vikings
Bradbury knows what he’s talking about. He battled Flores’ defense in back-to-back summers from 2023 to 2024 and practiced against the group during the regular season.
If anyone has a boots-on-the-ground perspective about Flores’ ways, it’s Bradbury.
Bradbury, on the other hand, offered a mixed bag during his Vikings tenure. He never took off as an efficient pass-blocker, which should’ve been a prerequisite for any center drafted in Round 1. His run-blocking, though, always kept him gainfully employed — and probably served as the reason that New England scooped him so quickly from free agency five months ago.
Joint Practices Incoming
Minnesota and New England will likely rest most, if not all, starters on Saturday for the preseason game, making this week’s joint practices the main event.
Joint practices provide a forum for players and coaches to see something different inside a long summer, and Bradbury wasn’t shy about telling the tale of what he witnessed in Minnesota for two offseasons and summers.
Meanwhile, Minnesota will get a peek at Drake Maye, who was popularly linked to the purple team during the build-up to last year’s draft. In many fan circles, the question became “J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye?” Although, the trade price to obtain Maye proved to be too expensive, and New England locked in their man with the third overall pick.
Brian Flores’ Hellfire Defense
Flores’ defense ranked second in the NFL last year per EPA/Play, only bested by the Denver Broncos. Then, this offseason, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added newcomers Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah. Minnesota said goodbye to defenders Camryn Bynum, Stephon Gilmore, and Shaquill Griffin.
Many believe the additions of Allen and Hargrave can make Flores’ unit even better — another morsel of evidence to accompany Bradbury’s alert.
More on the Vikings’ Defense
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis and Ted Nguyen wrote last week about Flores’ defense: “Something is happening in Minnesota. Those who know, know. Coordinator Brian Flores didn’t just develop a defense unlike any other. He concocted a living, breathing virus inflicting pain on coaches, quarterbacks and offensive linemen in ways that seem almost preternatural. Its magic isn’t stored away in a playbook.”
“It happens organically when the Vikings meet. Maybe it’s a new way to disguise a blitz. Perhaps it’s a strategy to shift the front into a better position to play a specific run scheme. Flores will lob up a suggestion, then the football version of a think tank begins to crackle. What if we tried this? Could we hold up there? Would we be susceptible here?”
It’s worth noting that 2025 could be Flores’ swan song in Minnesota. His contract expires after this season.
Lewis and Nguyen continued, “Flores encourages the players to think malleably and speak bluntly. These are core components of a unit that has gone from 24th in DVOA to second in two seasons, a defense that has shown signs in training camp that it could become even more formidable with interior defensive line additions (Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave), speed at corner (Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah) and the emergence of youngsters (like former first-rounder Dallas Turner).”
“The sessions supercharging the Vikings’ innovation can happen at any time. Discussions in the team meeting room are conducted early in the game weeks. But they extend into and even during Sundays.”
The Vikings’ preseason game against the Patriots gets underway at noon on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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