PFF Considers Bradley Bozeman an 'Average' Center

The moment Bradley Bozeman was inserted into the Carolina Panthers' starting lineup at center, the offense drastically improved. The line did a great job in pass protection but was dominant in the run game, thanks to the physicality and toughness Bozeman brought to the table.

Despite how well Bozeman played, he's not getting nearly the respect he deserves from the folks at Pro Football Focus, who ranked him as the 17th-best center in the National Football League.

"Bozeman had a career year with the Ravens in 2021, earning a 73.6 PFF grade that saw him end the year as the 10th highest-graded player at the position. He didn’t reach those heights in 2022 with the Panthers, but he now has four consecutive seasons with a 63.0-plus PFF grade," Gordon McGuinness of PFF stated. "He’s an average center in today’s NFL, and that’s quite OK."

Just based on the "average" comment, I don't think many game reps were watched on all of these centers to rank and analyze them appropriately. Maybe I'm wrong. But still, there's no way you can come away from watching the transformation of the offense a year ago thinking Bozeman is just your ordinary NFL center. Is he a top-five or top-ten center? Maybe not right now, but he's well worth every penny of that three-year, $18 million deal he signed earlier this offseason.

Centers ranked above Bozeman include Creed Humphrey (Chiefs), Jason Kelce (Eagles), Corey Linsley (Chargers), Frank Ragnow (Lions), Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens), David Andrews (Patriots), Ethan Pocic (Browns), Connor Williams (Dolphins), Ted Karras (Bengals), Ryan Jensen (Buccaneers), Cody Whitehair (Bears), Brian Allen (Rams), Drew Dalman (Falcons), Mitch Morse (Bills), Erik McCoy (Saints), and Ryan Kelly (Colts).

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