Jared Wilson is expected to take over as the New England Patriots’ starting center after the team traded Garrett Bradbury to the Chicago Bears. He played exclusively at left guard as a rookie, struggling with run blocking and pass protection, allowing 41 pressures and eight sacks across 17 games while missing four contests due to a knee and high-ankle sprain. Wilson has very little competition for the job, with Ben Brown the only competitor.
New England Patriots former 3rd round pick on returning to his natural position
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Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in the huddle with guard Jared Wilson (58) against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jared Wilson was recently asked about returning to his natural position, as reported by Brian Hines of Pats Pulpit. The second-year offensive lineman shared that he is very excited. Wilson also added that he agrees with the statement that players should get to know all three interior positions, but he underlined that each position is different.
“Very excited,” Wilson said, via Hines. “Very excited. I’ll keep it at that.”
“Honestly, I mean, from guard to center, people say you’ve got to know all three positions on the interior offensive line. That is a very true statement, but it was very different. I was there before. I played it in college. So I’m comfortable. But there’s always things to learn. Always new things to learn and things to tweak.”
PFF includes him on their All-Breakout Team as a center
New England Patriots, Jared Wilson
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots guard Jared Wilson (58) against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“Wilson experienced growing pains in his first pro season, playing almost exclusively at left guard — where his 52.2 overall PFF grade was the eighth-worst among qualifiers. However, Wilson showed signs of progress later in the year with a 73.6 PFF pass-blocking grade from Week 11 through the Super Bowl,” Bradley Locker said.
“Moving back to center should do wonders for Wilson, who compiled a 79.6 overall grade during his time there at Georgia in 2024. Adding veteran Alijah Vera-Tucker to man left guard and retaining the likes of Mike Onwenu, Will Campbell and Morgan Moses creates a relatively ideal situation for Wilson.”