The Patriots are heading into Monday night without their starting center. Ben Brown has been ruled out for the Week 1 matchup against Seattle, forcing Mike Vrabel's offense to turn to Garrett Bradbury as the primary replacement. It's not ideal timing for a defending Super Bowl LX champion looking to establish early momentum.
Brown's absence matters more than a typical preseason absence because of what it signals about the offensive line's health entering the season. You want continuity up front when you're defending a title. Bradbury is capable—he's a capable fill-in—but there's an adjustment period when you're swapping centers. Communication breakdowns, snap timing, protection schemes; these things compound when you're not running with your guy.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson also didn't practice heading into the trip, adding another wrinkle to what the Patriots will field Monday. The backfield depth is solid with Hassan Haskins and Rhamondre Stevenson on the roster, but you want your top option available, especially early. Henderson's status bears monitoring as the week progresses.
Here's the thing though: it's one game. Week 1 isn't won or lost based on a starting center sitting out, even for defending champs. Vrabel's system has redundancy built in. Bradbury has experience. The Patriots have the talent to manage a Monday night against anyone, injury report or not. But if Brown's issue lingers into Week 2, Week 3? Then we're talking about a real problem that could affect how efficiently the offense operates all season.
Watch how the line coheres with Bradbury under center Monday. That'll tell you everything about whether this is a speed bump or something more concerning.
Based on reporting from Pats Pulpit.