Pitt WR Jaden Bradley Succeeding in Simpler Role
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers needed big plays desperately late in the fourth quarter, trailing by two scores to lowly, head coach-less Georgia Tech last weekend. Those plays arrived late and came from an unlikely source - sophomore wide receiver Jaden Bradley. He hauled in two late touchdown passes to keep Pitt breathing when the game seemed all but lost. The Panthers eventually lost but it was a positive development for the young wideout.
His start to 2022 has been rough. After Pitt lost two of its top three wideouts from a year ago to the transfer portal and graduation, Bradley was in prime position to assume an important role as a reserve receiver for the Panthers. But so far, this season had not panned out exactly how he'd hoped. Entering the Georgia Tech game, Bradley had totaled three catches for 20 yards while drops and mistakes away from the ball made his coaches question how much they could trust him.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi called Bradley "a smart kid" but called for better attention to detail. Bradley claimed to know every position but that knowledge did not manifest on the field, Narduzzi said a few weeks ago, before the Panthers played Rhode Island.
"He wasn’t as consistent as he needed to be last week and probably half the coaches’ fault as it was his fault but he’s a guy who claims to know all these positions," Narduzzi said. "‘I know X, I know Z, I know the F’. He knows them on a piece of paper but to go out there and execute them fast and with detail — not good enough."
But Bradley has made a comeback of sorts ever since. The coaches simplified his workload and charged him with not just learning, but mastering, one spot on the field before adding in new things. It used to be that Bradley would tap out whoever needed a break, no matter where they played in the offense. It was a mistake that Narduzzi takes responsibility for and now, Bradley sticks to one position when rotating in. It means fewer but better, cleaner snaps.
He's very, very confident to a point where he thinks he knows every position," Narduzzi said. "We had him learning them all. ... He wasn't doing it at a high level. That's our fault as coaches not putting him in a position to be successful. I think what we've done the last two weeks is saying, ‘Listen, you're playing one position and you're going to know that position in and out.’ ... Just slim down what he has to know so he can play fast and do everything exactly the way we need it."
Bradley thrived in that simpler role last week. He was targeted five times and didn't make a reception until the game clock had dwindled inside of four minutes, but they were massive catches. Narduzzi is excited for Bradley and thinks this experience - one where he had to be honest with himself and take a step back before he could go forward - will serve him well later in his career.
"I'm fired up for Jaden," Narduzzi said. "Bradley has done a nice job. He's fought through some adversity. Things aren't going good. Short memory. Everything you want to see out of a wideout."
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