Will Pats cut Bradbury? [OG title mentioned a non-existent option bonus]

One-If-By-Sea said:

Wilson does not look ready and PatsFans loves him for some reason. Having a rookie LG and LT was a huge coaching mistake. Moving Wilson to Center would continue the mistake. Let's hope Vrabel and crew have learned.

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Moving him to center and making him with the job would be a mistake?? How so?

imahobgoblin said:

Garrett Bradbury was 30th-best center out of 40 qualifying players with a 59.8 overall grade. He struggled with consistency, producing a 63.1 pass-blocking grade and a 55.7 run-blocking grade. If you can upgrade him, you at the opportunity. Tyler Linderbaum is a free agent, and is top 10. But he will cost about $18 million a year. Do you want to spend that?

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What is "qualifying"? You seem to have used the 20% out of 1154 offensive snaps selector. Which would include Elgton Jenkins (538 snaps) , Erik McCoy (449snaps) , Austin Schlottmann (363 snaps) , and Ryan Kelly (329 snaps). Why not use the 50% selector????

Bradbury's grade was a 63.1 on the season for pass blocking. Linderbaum was a 63.4. The only reason Linderbaum had an 80.3 overall grade was because of his run blocking.

All that being said, those grades don't mean anything. They're garbage.

Linderbaum has the nastiness that I think the Pats are looking for from a Lineman.. However, I think that Connor McGovern has that and could be had for about 6M less than Linderbaum.. McGovern isn't the run-blocker that Linderbaum is, but he's a better pass-blocker and has proven versatility to be a Center or Guard.

Teven Jenkins might be a sleeper. He played 4 years for the Bears, but couldn't find a team and was stuck on the Browns last year. They used him all over the line before he finished 4 of the last 5 games as the starter at RG.

One-If-By-Sea said:

You are going to bank the Pats whole 2026 season on some film reivew you saw at Georgia? You are not concerned at all by Wilson's failure at LG in 2025? The Pats have a very hard schedule in 2026, not like 2025, and you are thinking that protecting Maye is the #1 priority?

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Isn't that what teams do when they draft players? They bank on Player "X" doing as good or better than what they saw on tape based on what they feel they can coach? Isn't that what teams do with Free Agency as well???

Every team is different every year.. The "Strength of Schedule" doesn't mean anything. It's definitely not a predictor of the future. That doesn't determine how hard a schedule will actually be. So many thigs can happen that make the Strength of Schedule moot. From coaching changes to injuries to trades.

I'm not banking on Wilson being the starting Center. I am banking that he'll be given a shot at it after the Pats sign or draft someone to be the starting LG. I'm hoping for Connor McGovern. He would give the Pats an upgrade at LG and could step in at center if needed. He'd be an upgrade at Center over Bradbury.. I think him at LG next to Wilson could benefit Wilson and Campbell.

One-If-By-Sea said:

Not hard to sign a C and LG if Linderbaum and Edwards are available - cut Onwenu to have the cap space. Vrabel and crew have a great reputation, FAs will sign here. We tried a rookie LG and LT which did not work out well (was a disaster - I am being polite).

How do you sign a C and LG? Really easy like how we signed Williams last year. Have Vrabel talk to them and offer the most money. Are you concerned about RKK paying the salaries?

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So, your "answer" is to cut the Pats best O-linemen and go in with a completely new Interior O-line. And you don't think THAT has disaster written all over it?? BTW, I noticed you didn't bother to mention who'd be playing RG since you cut Onwenu needlessly.

Not sure what you're looking at, but the Pats have the cap space without cutting Onwenu to sign Linderbaum and Edwards.

One-If-By-Sea said:

Yup. That is what happens. Draft picks have only a 35% chance of success. It happens ALL THE TIME.

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That's a pretty reductive statement. If you define "hit" as "signs a second contract with the team who drafted them", then, for first-round picks (2000-2019):

• C [12] was the best choice, with >90% hits
• OT [64] was second, with ~60%
• G [28] was third, at 50%
• In the 40-49% range: LB [50], QB [56], EDGE [104], DT [60]
• Below 40%: CB [71], RB [48], S [41], TE [24], WR [77]

Edited to add: I added the # of players drafted at each position. The average across all positions was 43%.

Source: 2024 NFL Draft preview: What is the hit rate on positions selected in first round?

One-If-By-Sea said:

LOL. You want an EDGE when Drake has an injured shoulder due to the lousy OL in 2025?

In 2025 our Center Bradbury and Wilson our LG drafted in R3 sucked. You think adding an All-pro at Center, Linderbaum, and a highly ranked veteran like Edwards or AVT at LG is a bad plan? Adding a RG in R1 or R2 of the draft is a bad idea?

OH! You want an EDGE so we can get Drake, not injured, but killed in 2026?

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Prove that Drake's injured shoulder was because of the lousy O-line and not his making a mistake.

Bradbury was mediocre. He didn't suck.. Wilson was a rookie, playing out of position, and he actually put together a decent run with his pass blocking from Weeks 8-16.

BTW, the Bills thought so much of Edwards at LG that they went out and signed Connor McGovern to play the position. And McGovern did until 2024 when they moved him to Center.

The problem with Ali Vera-Tucker is that he can't stay healthy.. Vera-Tucker's best position, though, seems to be RG.. His one full year at LG, he was lousy at pass-blocking. Though, that could have been because of how bad Zach Wilson was as a QB..

One-If-By-Sea said:

Yup. That is what happens. Draft picks have only a 35% chance of success. It happens ALL THE TIME.

Why do you add so many equal signs, =============, to so many of your posts?

Weaken the RG position by not paying $18M a year? LOL. Did you forget that we can add a RG with better stats than Onwenu for much less money because Onwenu is over paid? No idea why PatsFans LOVES Onwenu. The guy is dependable but as immobile as any OLman in the league. When was the last time you saw Onwenu leading an end run or a screen play?? Never.

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With regard to Wilson, shame on Vrabel starting him at LG instead letting him develop as a center. For now, for me, he is better than Wallace and should be one of our two backup IOL's, along with Brown.
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OK, let's play your game for a couple of weeks. I strongly disagree with your evaluation of Onwenu as a player. HOWEVER, he isn't worth $17M for his 2026 services. I don't believe that we can easily replace his value to the team. However, whatever the cost of a new, nearly comparable RG, a new player should be a considerable savings. Perhaps the cost might be a Moses level player at a Moses level cost ($9M-$10M AAV).
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So, we can start by planning to dump Onwenu. We shouldn't WANT to pay $17M AAV for a RG. We should be committed to signing a free agent RG.
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AND THEN, we should suck it up and sign at least one top level IOL. If we don't get our center, then we need a top LG and perhaps could go for a replacement for Bradbury.
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ONE PLAN - NOT CHEAP
1) Sign a top LG or C (or better yet 2)
2) Sign a 3-year veteran starter at LG or C (could be Bradbury or Bradbury replacement if we don't sign a top center)
3) Sign a 3-year starter at RG.
4) As an aside, re-sign Lowe and Munford if we can as backups.

One-If-By-Sea said:

PatsFans love Wilson, Onwenu, Tonga, and Hawkins.

Wilson looks like a bust so give him a year as a backup to recover. What is wrong with that?

Tonga and Hawkins were JAGs before we signed them, and now they indispensable? Can we please improve in 2026 by not overvaluing JAGs?

Onwenu is OK, but greatly overpaid at $18M. Let's spend FA money wisely.

Are these simple ideas so hard?

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The problem is your characterizations.

Onwenu graded out as one of the top 7 guards in the league in 2025. You claiming he was just "OK" is ridiculous and shows YOUR bias. Onwenu gave up 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, and 18 hurries . 21 total pressures in 648 pass blocking attempts. The guy you're banging the drum for LG in Edwards, gave up 27 total pressures on 54 fewer pass blocking attempts. Your claims that Onwenu is over-paid show you haven't bothered to familiarize yourself with the way that guards are being paid now-a-days.

Why don't you look at the 3 RGs being paid more than Onwenu. Trey Smith, Chris Lindstrom and Robert Hunt. How'd they do:
Smith - 1 sack, 2 QB Hits, and 13 hurries in 459 pass blocking attempts
Lindstrom - 1 sack, 8 QB hits, 35 Hurries in 628 pass blocking attempts.
Hunt - Injured for all but 2 games..

But yeah.. According to YOU, he's over-paid.

Wilson looks like a bust? Because he played 1 year out of position at LG? That's absurd and shows you to be the one with the issue. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I have not seen anyone say that Tonga and Hawkins are "indispensable" That's your ridiculous hyperbole.

What would you know about spending FA money wisely? You'd have the Pats spend 25-30M on 2 IOL and then spend a HIGH draft pick on a problem you created by cutting one of the top 10 Offensive guards in the league.

You want to talk about "simple ideas", but you're the one making things complicated and willfully ignoring things.

ALP said:

If we can make upgrades and maximize cap usage the next 3 years before we have to pay drake, I’m all for it. No reason why we should have significant unused cap at start of next season

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Pats are looking at about 39M in free cap space for 2026. Hopefully some of that will be used to extend Gonzalez. The Pats need an upgrade at LG, an upgrade at center, Coverage-3down LB, at least 1 edge player. Possibly a 2nd if Landry can't go this year because of his knee and Safety to replace Hawkins if they don't keep him.

Connor McGovern, David Edwards, and Teven Jenkins would be the leading candidates, in my opinion.
At center, You have Linderbaum and McGovern leading the way..

I think it was in late November/early December when I pointed out that I wanted McGovern and/or Edwards since it would help the Pats and hurt the Bills.

There aren't a lot available for Edge guys or 3 down Coverage LBs.. But there are quite a few safeties who are available. Kamren Curl, Coby Bryant, Bryan Cook, Jalen Thompson are all potential targets for the Safety position.

While the jury is still out on Wilson, cutting Bradbury and moving him to center falls in line with the 'younger, cheaper, better' mantra this off season. Spending a year at guard filled a team need and allowed him to gain experience without the responsibilities of the center position. For the most part the plan worked until he tailed off due to injuries and hitting the rookie wall. To me having experienced veterans, on reasonable contracts, backing up young and upcoming starters is a good model to help develop young players. When injuries happen, the experience will allow the backup to step in and do a good job. Assuming that the team finds a LG having Bradbury and Brown in the backup roles provides good depth without breaking the bank.

One-If-By-Sea said:

Wilson does not look ready and PatsFans loves him for some reason. Having a rookie LG and LT was a huge coaching mistake. Moving Wilson to Center would continue the mistake. Let's hope Vrabel and crew have learned.

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They made the Super Bowl.

Granted Wilson doesn't seem that LG is his position, but Vrabel had to replace 4/5ths of the offensive line. And that was only the offensive line.

They hit on nearly every draft pick and FA signing, yet there were still weaknesses. At the end of last season it was pretty much consensus that the Patriots were amongst the least talented teams in the league.

Vrabel and crew filled almost every position with an upgrade. What lesson should they have learned?

mgteich said:

With regard to Wilson, shame on Vrabel starting him at LG instead letting him develop as a center.

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Vrabel may feel that Wilson got more “development” getting lots of real snaps on the field against real players in live games, but out of position, than he would have riding the bench for a year just taking practice snaps.

While he was not actually playing the center role, he was right next to the center and was able to watch how that player did his job in a live game situation down after down while also getting a feel for how the guard position works together with the center in the league from the guard’s point of view.

Now in 2026, he has the tools to get off on the right foot going back to center and has the benefit of going head-to-head with starting DTs for a year. If he had just been the backup center for a year, he may have more refined technique but he might be a little shell-shocked when he actually hit the field this year and started getting smacked around.

Ross12 said:

Now in 2026, he has the tools to get off on the right foot going back to center and has the benefit of going head-to-head with starting DTs for a year. If he had just been the backup center for a year, he may have more refined technique but he might be a little shell-shocked when he actually hit the field this year and started getting smacked around.

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I think you're right. Hopefully the experience pays off. At guard he's undersized and underwhelming. He has the tools to be a dynamic center. He has the athleticism to pull and block at the second level.

Family said:

What lesson should they have learned?

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I hope they learned that putting two rookies side by side is not helping either learn. Pair rookies with veterans.

I hope they learned that when a rookie struggles, the rookie might not be able to play through it. Sometimes learning as a backup for awhile is OK.

Joey007 said:

Moving him to his actual college position that he was drafted for can’t be anything that moves in the negative direction.

How can you determine how he’ll play at center when you haven’t even seen him play the position in the pros?

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I am not sure what you are asking. I am not the one saying he should move to center. Others on Pats Fans are saying that.

How does anyone know he will be good at center in the Pros? That is your question? I am saying he should possibly be a backup for a year to learn.

ctpatsfan77 said:

That's a pretty reductive statement. If you define "hit" as "signs a second contract with the team who drafted them", then, for first-round picks (2000-2019):

• C [12] was the best choice, with >90% hits
• OT [64] was second, with ~60%
• G [28] was third, at 50%
• In the 40-49% range: LB [50], QB [56], EDGE [104], DT [60]
• Below 40%: CB [71], RB [48], S [41], TE [24], WR [77]

Edited to add: I added the # of players drafted at each position. The average across all positions was 43%.

Source: 2024 NFL Draft preview: What is the hit rate on positions selected in first round?

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You are saying the % is 43% not 35%? OK.

DaBruinz said:

Pats are looking at about 39M in free cap space for 2026. Hopefully some of that will be used to extend Gonzalez. The Pats need an upgrade at LG, an upgrade at center, Coverage-3down LB, at least 1 edge player. Possibly a 2nd if Landry can't go this year because of his knee and Safety to replace Hawkins if they don't keep him.

Connor McGovern, David Edwards, and Teven Jenkins would be the leading candidates, in my opinion.
At center, You have Linderbaum and McGovern leading the way..

I think it was in late November/early December when I pointed out that I wanted McGovern and/or Edwards since it would help the Pats and hurt the Bills.

There aren't a lot available for Edge guys or 3 down Coverage LBs.. But there are quite a few safeties who are available. Kamren Curl, Coby Bryant, Bryan Cook, Jalen Thompson are all potential targets for the Safety position.

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My issue with Jenkins is that they could have had him last year and decided not to. Not sure why that would change this year. As you say he is mostly a RG and i think Onwenu is safe, for now.

As for Bradbury, he wasnt terrible. He wasnt great either, certainly upgradable.I think they could be looking at someone similar to Wilson in the draft that can play both guard and center and cut Bradbury. Or they could sign Mcgovern as you say. Or do both.

stelfans said:

My issue with Jenkins is that they could have had him last year and decided not to. Not sure why that would change this year. As you say he is mostly a RG and i think Onwenu is safe, for now.

As for Bradbury, he wasnt terrible. He wasnt great either, certainly upgradable.I think they could be looking at someone similar to Wilson in the draft that can play both guard and center and cut Bradbury. Or they could sign Mcgovern as you say. Or do both.

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I did not say he is mostly a RG. I said that's where he played mostly last year for the Browns.

Jenkins came into the league as a LT in 2021. In 2022, the Bears played him at RG. In 2023, they moved him to LG and that's where he played for 8 of his 12 games. In 2024, he started exclusively at LG and that's when he really seemed most comfortable..

Family said:

They made the Super Bowl.

Granted Wilson doesn't seem that LG is his position, but Vrabel had to replace 4/5ths of the offensive line. And that was only the offensive line.

.

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???

Vrabel CHOSE to cut Strange, start Wilson at LG and keep Wallace on the team as an IOL backup.

mgteich said:

???

Vrabel CHOSE to cut Strange, start Wilson at LG and keep Wallace on the team as an IOL backup.

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Right. Strange was on the last year of his rookie deal, and they had zero intention of resigning him.

When the season began most didn't think the Patriots were a playoff team, let alone a Super Bowl possibility.

Why not go with the young guys to see what we had?

If they were a veteran playoff team it would have been one thing, but dumping Strange was the right move at the time.