The New England Patriots will officially have a new-look offensive line in 2026.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots are flipping veteran center Garrett Bradbury to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round draft pick. Chicago found itself in the market somewhat unexpectedly after their starter, Drew Dalman, informed the team of his plans to retire at the age of 27 this week. That created a need the Patriots were clearly ready to pounce on.
The price aligns with a trade earlier this week between the Browns and Texans for right tackle Tytus Howard, with Cleveland sending Houston a fifth-round pick for the veteran starter.
Bradbury was a solid anchor for quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots in 2025, landing in Foxboro shortly after he was released by the Minnesota Vikings. His presence was probably most valuable for New England’s pair of rookies, tackle Will Campbell and guard Jared Wilson, who both played full-time roles (when healthy) on the left side of the line.
General manager Eliot Wolf made it clear at the NFL Scouting Combine that Campbell wasn’t moving to guard or right tackle anytime soon, despite his struggles in the playoffs following his return from a sprained MCL.
Wilson had his own struggles, but he could now find himself stepping into a major promotion as the Patriots’ starting center with Bradbury moving on.
Jared Wilson could be Patriots’ biggest beneficiary of Garrett Bradbury trade
Wilson played both guard spots for the Georgia Bulldogs, but he played most of the 2023 season and all of 2024 at center. The Bradbury trade opens the door for Wilson to slide over to center, with a veteran guard slotting in between him and Campbell.
With the Patriots agreeing to trade center Garrett Bradbury to the Bears for a 2027 fifth-round pick (per @AdamSchefter), it further opens the door to move Jared Wilson back to his college position at center.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 6, 2026
One name that could make sense is Joel Bitonio of the Cleveland Browns. His contract was set to void on President’s Day, but the team agreed to extend that date to give him more time to contemplate retirement. He’s 34 and has spent his entire 12-year NFL career in Cleveland, but he’s still one of the best pass-blocking guards in football, and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spent the 2024 season working closely with him and the rest of the Browns' offensive line during his year there as a coaching and personnel consultant. The Browns and Bitonio will have a resolution on his future by Tuesday.
Other names worth watching entering Monday’s legal tampering window are Isaac Seumalo of the Steelers, Zion Johnson of the Chargers, and David Edwards of the Bills — all players Vrabel and the Patriots should know well after playing those teams during the 2025 season.
Chicago’s decision to move quickly at center says more about this year’s free agent market than anything. It’s a thin and extremely top-heavy group, led by the Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum and Connor McGovern of the Bills.
With the opportunity to move Wilson to his more natural position in Year 2 of a rookie-scale contract, the Patriots’ best value could come at guard next week, and that position just rose significantly on Vrabel's offseason to-do list.