Tyler Forness discusses Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury and why the team doesn't need to break the bank on FA interior offensive linemen.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00The Minnesota Vikings need to fix the interior of their offensive line,
00:04but do they need to fix all of it?
00:06And is it really worth fixing?
00:10Let's talk about it.
00:14One of the big things with the Minnesota Vikings
00:16is they need to fix the interior of the offensive line.
00:18It's quite a simple concept, but they've struggled with it
00:21ever since Steve Hutchinson departed the team after the 2011 season.
00:25They have tried everything.
00:26Big free agent signings, high draft picks.
00:30Day three, day two.
00:31Bargain free agents.
00:33You name it, they've tried it.
00:35The Vikings have just not been successful
00:37on the offensive line in the interior.
00:39Now they do have Christian Derrison, Brian O'Neill,
00:41both top 62 picks in the NFL draft.
00:44Man, does it feel good to have those spots fixed and certain for a long time?
00:50But the interior is still a problem.
00:51Now they spent a first round pick on Garrett Bradbury in 2019.
00:55That has not manifested nearly the way that we had hoped.
00:58And there's a lot of discussion.
00:59Oh, Bradbury's bad.
01:00We need to replace him.
01:02OK. Who?
01:04And that's the big problem.
01:06There's all this discussion about we need to fix this position
01:08and we need to replace this guy.
01:10But you just can't say it and hope it becomes reality.
01:14That's not how it works.
01:15You have to find somebody worthy of replacing them.
01:18Garrett Bradbury's contract is $6.064 million cap it this year.
01:22And guess what? It's the final year of his deal.
01:25Three years, $15.75 million.
01:28A bang average contract for a bang average center.
01:32Yeah, Bradbury has his flaws, but he's fine.
01:35He's objectively fine.
01:37And in order to replace him, you need to convince yourself
01:40that one, you're getting a better player and two, the price warrants the player.
01:45And that's a big disconnect.
01:47People are talking about, oh, Drew Dallman.
01:49Just go sign Drew Dallman.
01:50Dallman could command up to $18 million and being a wide zone center.
01:54He could still give you the same problems that Bradbury has.
01:58Are you willing to pay triple the amount for Drew Dallman
02:01just so you can maybe get a little better in pass protection and in the run game?
02:07That's not really cost effective.
02:11That is a $12 million that could go to Camp Bynum.
02:15You could just give Camp Bynum 12 million instead of bringing back Drew Dallman.
02:20Well, what about Ryan Kelly?
02:23Ryan Kelly's been injured so much the past couple of years,
02:25there were even talks about him potentially retiring.
02:30If you could guarantee me that Ryan Kelly be on the field, I'm all for it.
02:32But you can't.
02:34And this is where that conversation really comes back full circle
02:38because we've seen it at guard.
02:40The Vikings have just thrown warm bodies in a guard hoping, hey,
02:44maybe better or different is better.
02:47Let's just try it.
02:48You never know.
02:50Let's say you get Drew Samia and Dakota Dozier, who were abject disasters.
02:58Well, what about drafting guy in the first round?
03:00Do you really want to spend a first round pick on a center again?
03:04Remember how that turned out the last time?
03:07Not so good.
03:09Vikings need to do something.
03:11They need improvement.
03:14But why not just improve the surroundings of Bradbury?
03:18Bring in competition for Blake Brando, left guard, fix right guard.
03:21Maybe we'll fries from the Indianapolis Colts.
03:23Do those things because you know what?
03:26It's not a strong free agent class.
03:28It's not the greatest center class when it comes to the NFL draft.
03:32So focus your areas on other positions
03:36and just keep the bang average center.
03:38Because there is no guaranteed true improvement,
03:42because improvement is not linear.
03:44Kweisi Ovemetz has talked about it.
03:46If you have to take $12 million from other positions,
03:49you can give it to Drew Dahlman for modem modicum of improvement.
03:55Is that worth it?
03:56Dahlman's not Creed Humphrey.
03:58He's not walking through the door.
04:02It's a tough one because you want to improve the position,
04:06but just because you want to doesn't mean you can.
04:10Or it's wise to do so in the current market.
04:13Maybe don't don't punt it, but wait until 2026
04:16when the market might be more flush with players and you have more draft capital.
04:21Then. Fix the position.
04:26Because right now.
04:28It just doesn't make a lot of sense.
04:30You have too many other needs and you have a bang average player at the position.
04:37Just keep it.
04:39I'm Tyler Furnas with A to Z Sports.
04:41Skol Vikings.