Giants Release CB James Bradberry: Should Patriots Pursue Him?
The New England Patriots’ cornerback situation continues to raise eyebrows across the footprint of the fanbase.
In the wake of the departure of second team All-Pro J.C. Jackson, New England has added veterans Malcolm Butler and Terrance Mitchell, while selecting the services of Houston’s Marcus Jones (Round 3, 85th overall) and Arizona State’s Jack Jones (Round 4, 121st overall) via the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, Pro Bowl caliber players at their position are always worth an extra look, if they are available for the right fit and the right price..
Enter cornerback James Bradberry, soon-to-be formerly of the New York Giants.
According to The Athletic, the Giants are releasing Bradberry after failing to find a trade partner. Desperately in need of salary cap space, the move will create $10.1M in cap savings while leaving $11.7M in dead money for New York. Duggan further reported that the Giants could save nearly $11.5M with $10.4M dead this year and $1.4M dead in 2023 if they make it a June 1 cut.
Heading into the draft, as well as in its immediate aftermath, the Giants had been searching for a trade partner to which they would deal Bradberry. However, with insufficient salary cap space to adequately operate in 2022, the team was hardly bargaining from a position of strength. Giants general manager Joe Schoen was recently asked about Bradberry’s situation, during a guest appearance on WFAN’s Carton and Roberts.
“We’re working through that right now,” Schoen said. “His agents have been great, we’ve been in constant communication. I’ve talked to James, it’s been very professional throughout the whole process, and we should have some resolution, hopefully, by the end of the week.
“It’s unfortunate, because he [Bradberry] is a great kid… I’ve always spoken very highly of him. Listen, he’s a starting corner in the league. It’s just, where we are financially, we still gotta sign our draft picks, we have to be able to sign our practice squad, and then have replacement costs early in the season.”
As a result, Bradberry is set to hit the open market, and interest in his services is expected to be robust.
Therefore, the question beckons: Would the Patriots consider signing the six-year veteran and 2020 Pro-Bowler?
Logistically, a cornerback of Bradberry's talent should, and likely will, draw interest from the Patriots. During his six seasons as a pro [four with the Carolina Panthers and two with the Giants], he has compiled 380 total tackles, 82 passes-defensed, 15 interceptions, three sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 92 games played.
Bradberry possesses the skills and experience required to immediately command a starting role on the boundary. While his prowess is best exhibited in zone, the 28-year-old could still make a notable difference in head coach Bill Belichick’s secondary. Theoretically, Bradberry would align as a first or second option at the position, with either Butler, Mitchell or Jalen Mills on the other side. With the starting roles each occupied by veterans, rookie Jack Jones would gain additional time to develop before having to take on a more prominent role in New England’s defensive backfield.
Signing with New England would also give Bradberry the chance to reunite with former teammate, safety Jabrill Peppers [who signed with New England in the offseason], as well as his former head coach in New York, Joe Judge. Judge rejoined the Pats coaching staff as a top offensive assistant in February.
Creator: Matt West | Credit: Boston Herald
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Still, Bradberry’s eventual destination is expected to be decided by what ultimately is the deciding factor in most of these situations: money.
Versatile defensive backs of Bradberry’s caliber almost never come cheap. For the Patriots, who currently have $765,014 in available salary cap space [per Patriots’ salary cap expert Miguel Benzan], affording him may be a problem. However, it would not be impossible. Benzan has recently outlined several cap-creating scenarios for the Patriots which would allow them to free enough space to pursue Bradberry, or other free agents in his price range.
It should be noted that New England has yet to make these attempts. Although they may still do so at a moment’s notice, all existing evidence seems to indicate that the Patriots may be reluctant to borrow future cap space from subsequent years. While 2022 has apparently been likened to a restocking of the shelves, 2023 may be their target year to add more front-line firepower to their arsenal. Should that, in fact, be the case, the Pats may find themselves priced out of Bradberry’s market.
While pursuing Bradberry is still a matter of question, it is a certainly that the collective eyes of the NFL universe, including those of the New England Patriots, will be squarely focused on the waiver wire in the coming days.
