Ben Bredeson Bio
Ben Bredeson, born February 20, 1998, is an American professional football guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and listed at 315 lb (143 kg), he plays the interior offensive line and has started 53 of 73 career NFL games through the 2025 season. He was a college standout at Michigan and a 2020 draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens before stops with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay.
Bredeson emerged as one of the most decorated offensive linemen in Michigan history, earning All-American honors and three All-Big Ten selections during his time in Ann Arbor. He has since settled into a starting role in Tampa Bay, where he signed a long-term extension in March 2025.
Early Life and Background
Ben Bredeson was born on February 20, 1998, in Hartland, Wisconsin, where he grew up in a football family. He is the son of Mike Bredeson, a former center at Illinois State, and has two brothers, an older brother Jack and a younger brother Max Bredeson, making Ben the middle of three siblings. The household’s football background helped shape his early interest in the sport.
He attended Arrowhead High School in Hartland, where he made the varsity football team as a freshman, an unusually early milestone for a player at the offensive line position. As a junior he earned first-team All-State recognition, and as a senior he repeated the All-State honor while also picking up first-team All-American honors from MaxPreps and USA Today. He also received the Joe Thomas Award as the top offensive lineman in Wisconsin and was named the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year.
Bredeson’s senior season drew national attention, and he was invited to the 2016 Under Armour All-America Game, one of the premier high school showcases. He held scholarship offers from seventeen programs and narrowed his choices to Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, and Wisconsin. On June 17, 2015, he committed to play college football at Michigan.
Path to American Football
Bredeson’s path to the NFL began on the varsity field at Arrowhead, where he progressed quickly from a freshman contributor to a nationally recognized senior. His combination of size, footwork, and finishing ability made him a natural fit for major-college programs looking for an interior lineman. The Under Armour All-America Game invitation confirmed his status as one of the top high school offensive linemen in his class.
His commitment to Michigan in 2015 launched his college career with the Wolverines, a program with a strong track record of producing NFL offensive linemen. He arrived in Ann Arbor as a developmental tackle prospect but would quickly be asked to move inside.
Ben Bredeson Career
Early Career (2016–2019)
Bredeson spent four seasons at the University of Michigan from 2016 to 2019. During his freshman year he was switched from offensive tackle to guard, a position he had never played in high school, and he gradually grew into the role over the next three seasons. Following the 2017 season he was named to the All-Big Ten offensive second-team by both the coaches and the media, and after the 2018 season he repeated the honor.
As an upperclassman he became a fixture on the Wolverines’ offensive line. Following the 2019 season Bredeson was named to the All-Big Ten offensive first-team by both the coaches and the media, and he was recognized as a Second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Those honors cemented his status as an NFL prospect heading into the 2020 draft cycle.
Baltimore Ravens Era (2020)
Bredeson was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round, 143rd overall, of the 2020 NFL draft. He joined a deep offensive line room and worked primarily as a reserve during his rookie year. He played in 10 games, mostly in a reserve and special teams role, and was a healthy scratch in several early-season weeks.
His first season ended on January 9, 2021, when he was placed on injured reserve. The stint in Baltimore was brief, but it provided his first taste of NFL-level preparation and gave the Ravens a chance to evaluate him against professional competition.
New York Giants Era (2021–2023)
On August 31, 2021, Bredeson was traded to the New York Giants along with a 2022 fifth-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round pick. He made his Giants debut in Week 2 against the Washington Football Team after Nick Gates suffered a leg injury. In Week 3 he made his first career NFL start against the Atlanta Falcons, but he injured his hand during that game and was inactive the following week against the New Orleans Saints.
Bredeson entered the 2022 season as the starting left guard after Shane Lemieux was injured during the first preseason game. On October 29, 2022, he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury before being activated on December 17. In 2023 he won the starting left guard job out of training camp over Joshua Ezeudu, and on October 15, 2023, he was moved to right guard after the Giants signed veteran Justin Pugh.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Era (2024–Present)
On March 15, 2024, Bredeson signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was immediately installed as the starting left guard. He started all 17 games for the Buccaneers that season, providing stability on the interior of their offensive line.
On March 12, 2025, Bredeson signed a three-year, 22 million dollar contract extension with Tampa Bay that runs through 2027. He made 11 starts for the team in 2025 before suffering a knee injury in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints, and on December 9 he was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The extension underscored the Buccaneers’ confidence in his role as a long-term starter.
Notable Events and Milestones
Bredeson’s draft selection in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft marked the start of his professional career, while his trade to the New York Giants in 2021 led to his first NFL starts. His March 2025 three-year extension with Tampa Bay stood as the clearest signal yet that the Buccaneers view him as a foundational piece of their offensive line.
Ben Bredeson Career Wins
Ben Bredeson’s professional resume is built on consistency and durability rather than championship hardware. Through the 2025 season he had played 73 career NFL games and made 53 starts across stints with the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His career has been defined by steady positional versatility, starting at both left guard and right guard in New York before settling in as Tampa Bay’s starting left guard.
Ben Bredeson Family
Family Background and Football Lineage
Bredeson comes from a football family rooted in the Midwest. His father, Mike Bredeson, played center at Illinois State, giving Ben early insight into the techniques and habits required at the offensive line position. He has two brothers, an older brother Jack and a younger brother Max Bredeson, with Ben as the middle sibling.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a strong but ultimately shortened campaign for Bredeson. He entered the year fresh off his March 2025 three-year, 22 million dollar contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and held the starting left guard job from the opening week. Through the first 13 weeks of the regular season he had made 11 starts and continued to anchor the Buccaneers’ interior line.
His season was cut short in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints, when he suffered a knee injury that led the team to place him on season-ending injured reserve on December 9. Despite the late injury, Bredeson’s contract extension through 2027 signaled that the Buccaneers expected him to remain a central part of their offensive line plans heading into the next campaign.