The New England Patriots are into Phase II of the Mike Vrabel rebuild. Phase 1 last offseason was a rousing success as Vrabel and his MVP-level quarterback, Drake Maye, took the former last-place Patriots to the Super Bowl.
Part of his Phase I revamp included bringing in four new offensive line starters. One solid addition at the time was center Garrett Bradbury, who's now not too surprisingly being suggested by one analyst as a possible candidate to be cut.
Most of the 2025 O-line was never going to be an ongoing part of the Patriots' future. It was a stopgap effort by Vrabel to patch up one of the NFL's worst units and at least present a respectable version. He did, and the Patriots got to the Super Bowl.
The O-line was still a major issue, surrendering 47 regular-season sacks and another 21 in the postseason, including six in the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, too many of those hits took their toll on Maye, and his injured shoulder was a major contributor to a poor offensive Super Bowl performance. Changes are clearly necessary.
The offensive line still threatens the Patriots’ Super Bowl window
Change is afoot in Foxborough, and another offensive line remake is one of the team's two top priorities. Vrabel has said Will Campbell is his left tackle, but no other position should be safe. One of the obvious possible candidates to leave is stopgap veteran center Garrett Bradbury, who started all 17 games in 2025.
Chad Graff of The Athletic recently suggested Bradbury is a potential cut candidate for the Patriots.
"The Patriots’ roster is in relatively good shape. Unlike past years, there aren’t any obvious candidates to cut. They could split with wide receiver Stefon Diggs or tight end Hunter Henry given the lack of guaranteed money remaining on their respective contracts. But wide receiver and tight end are already positions of need for the Pats. So, perhaps they move on from Bradbury as they usher in offensive line changes."
Bradbury has a $7.5M cap hit and only a $1.2M dead cap hit, according to Spotrac. That’s a major reason why Bradbury likely won’t be a Patriot in 2026. Vrabel could allocated those resources elsewhere, and Bradbury is expendable since his replacement is likely already on the roster.
Jared Wilson’s potential move to center could define the 2026 line
To replace Bradbury, Vrabel has last season's starting left guard, Jared Wilson, who played center for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2024. Wilson could slot right into his old position and replace Bradbury, helping to save that cap money for use elsewhere.
Wilson struggled at guard in 2025. He'll be counted on at least initially to move over one position to be the pivot next season. Vrabel will have to decide if he's NFL-worthy there, as well. The O-line needs major bolstering, and one way Vrabel can do that is in free agency.
Fortunately, there are at least two top guards he can sign in free agency who'll do just that.
Bills left guard, David Edwards, who'll be a 29-year-old entering his eighth NFL season, could bring a solid veteran presence to assist the now second-year Campbell. Also, taking him from Buffalo is addition by subtraction from an AFC East rival.
Another possibility is Browns guard Wyatt Teller, an eight-year veteran. Teller has played both guard positions and could slide into either the left side, or his most recent position, right guard, if the Patriots decide to move on from Mike Onwenu. Yet, since Teller is entering his age-32 season, and Edwards has played mostly left guard, he's the better all-around bet.
No matter who mans the guard spots, expect Wilson to be the initial starter at center. Vrabel drafting a center later on in the draft with one of his four sixth-round picks also makes a lot of sense. If he can strike paydirt there with a solid center or hybrid center/guard who can back up both, he'll have some protection if Wilson falters.
However Vrabel restructures the line, change is on the way on the offensive line, and Bradbury will likely be the first domino to fall.