New York Giants Top 7 Most Critical Players of 2020: CB James Bradberry
For the first four years of his career, cornerback James Bradberry had the most difficult indoctrination into the NFL of any defensive back.
Deemed a No. 1 cornerback, Bradberry typically drew the assignment to guard the opponent's best receiver on the opposing team. And in the NFC South, that means guarding the best receivers in the league twice a year, like Michael Thomas (Saints), Mike Evans (Bucs), and Julio Jones (Falcons).
That might be enough to give a cornerback the shakes, but not Bradberry. Despite not being known for his ball skill he has intercepted eight passes and defended 47 others. He has accumulated 222 solo tackles including seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
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He has been asked to be a complete football player and has responded tremendously. That type of responsibility would allow any defensive back to feel confident in their ability to perform. It also means that many other organizations would be interested in obtaining his services.
Bradberry has also been the picture of durability, starting 60 out of a possible 64 games in his first four seasons. He took 100% of the defensive snaps in 13 of the 15 games he competed in. The other two games, he accounted for 75% and 96% of the snaps.
This season, the 6’1” 212-pound Bradberry will once again be called on to cover the elite receivers in the NFL.
Outside of Evans, whom he knows all too well, Bradberry will likely match up with JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers), Amari Cooper (Cowboys), AJ Green (Bengals), D.K. Metcalf (Seattle), the ageless Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), and Odell Beckham Jr (Browns).
All of these receivers' performances will be critical to their team success thus making it more important for Bradberry to live up to his contract.
The Giants were ranked 27th in defensive DVOA last season according to Football Outsiders. More specifically, they ranked 31st against the pass last season, while Bradberry’s old team, the Panthers, ranked 11th.
What makes Bradberry so valuable is that he can exist in any type of scheme. You can play him man to man outside or in the slot. He can work in a zone or you can use him to devise any style of combination man/zone coverage.
This should give defensive coordinator Patrick Graham the flexibility to employ many exotic blitzes and coverages designed to keep offenses off balance.
The heart of what Bradberry will likely be asked to do for the Giants is rather simple: Hold the opposing teams’ best receivers to under their average. If he can do that, he will make the impact most Giants fans are hoping he can and the Giants will be in every game this season.
