James Bradberry to the Eagles Seems Unlikely
The Eagles need a starting cornerback and a divisional rival was forced to release one due to the salary-cap mismanagement of a prior regime.
So why not pile on and make yourself better with a reminder to the New York Giants' of their rebuilding misery?
That's only part of the equation for Howie Roseman when it comes to adding James Bradberry to the mix in Philadelphia, however.
There are many other hurdles to a potential deal and far more difficult ones from a practical standpoint starting with the type of market Bradberry, 28, will be entering.
Most teams have already budgeted for 2022 and are at the bloated 90-man offseason limit, something that could limit Bradberry from the eight figures he's certainly going to be looking for. Then comes the suitors with rumors swirling about two AFC West foes getting in on the bidding: Kansas City and Las Vegas.
If that's the case, it's hurtful to the Eagles on a couple of fronts: the Chiefs' status as a significant Super Bowl contender along with the angst of two rivals perhaps inflating the demand of the player, something that would hurt the always disciplined Roseman-led front office.
That said, Roseman likes to remind reporters that Philadelphia will go anywhere it needs to when it comes to difference-makers, something evidenced most recently by the four-year, $100 million extension that the Eagles gave A.J. Brown after acquiring the 24-year-old receiver from Tennessee.
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As good as Bradberry has been as a zone-heavy CB at times, he's not going to be viewed as that type of player by the Eagles, though, and any Bradberry to Philadelphia talk is likely going to hinge on the contract, which would preferably be of the one-year prove-it variety.
Like Steve Nelson last year, who is at a lower level than Bradberry as a player, what Philadelphia can offer Bradberry is an unquestioned starting job from Day 1 of training camp.
There are other perks as well, such as the ability to play the team that released Bradberry twice this season and perhaps beyond, the complement of toiling opposite one of the NFL's best cover CBs in Darius Slay proving plenty of opportunities to make plays, and perhaps the most important selling point of all: the ability to hit the market again in 2023 at the onset of free agency when many organizations will be flush with money.
Nelson himself was able to parlay his one season in Philadelphia to get two years and a raise from the Houston Texans.
A Pro Bowl corner in 2020, Bradberry didn't play as well last season but was still graded out as a top 10 CB in the league by Pro Football Focus when it comes to zone coverage. He also possesses the length and size - 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds - that the Eagles covet in outside corners.
Philadelphia has gone out of the way to talk up their young cornerbacks like Zech McPhearson, Tay Gowan, Kary Vincent, Jr., and Mac McCain, on multiple occasions this offseason.
The organization also carpet-bombed the undrafted free agent market at the position after losing volume in the draft due to the trade up for Jordan Davis and the Brown deal, signing Mario Goodrich, Josh Jobe, and Josh Blackwell.
A proven bird in the hand like Bradberry is better than a cast of thousands, however.
In the end, the thought here is that Bradberry's market will be too expensive for the disciplined Eagles and the move later this summer will be more of a Nelson-like stop-gap.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
