Should Seahawks Make a Run at Signing CB James Bradberry?
In an expected, yet still stunning move, after failing to find a trade partner, the cap-strapped Giants released veteran cornerback James Bradberry on Monday, creating $10.1 million in cap relief.
Only two offseasons ago, New York made Bradberry one of the highest-paid corners in the NFL, signing him to a three-year, $43.5 million contract. On the field, though the team struggled in the win/loss column, he performed well on an individual basis, earning his first Pro Bowl nod in 2020 with 54 tackles, three interceptions, and 15 pass breakups. Last season, he picked off four passes and produced 13 pass breakups in 17 games.
Getting a bit of a raw deal by being released after the draft, the 28-year old Bradberry will be looking to find a new team quickly and should have no shortage of interest. Could the Seahawks emerge as a potential suitor for his services?
Looking at Seattle's current depth chart and the state of the franchise, making a move for an established veteran like Bradberry doesn't make much sense. Back in March, the team re-signed Sidney Jones on a one-year contract and brought in veteran Artie Burns. Additionally, general manager John Schneider drafted Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen with fourth and fifth-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft last month and second-year defender Tre Brown is expected back from a patellar tendon injury after playing well in a handful of starts as a rookie.
With Jones expected to start and the quartet of Brown, Burns, Bryant, and Woolen competing for the other starting role, the Seahawks appear to be in decent shape at cornerback both short and long-term. Considering the team moved on from quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner this offseason and is in the midst of a rebuild of sorts, they aren't in a position where adding a quality veteran at the position would move the needle much from a contention standpoint.
However, from a play style and scheme fit perspective, Bradberry could be an intriguing fit lined up across from Jones in Seattle's secondary. Possessing excellent size at 6-foot-1, 212 pounds with 33-inch arms, he has plus ball skills and excels at tracking the football in coverage, as evidenced by his 15 interceptions and 67 pass breakups in six NFL seasons. He also has 334 career tackles and while missed tackles left on the field have been a problem over the past couple of years, he has shown himself to be a willing contributor defending the run.
Digging deeper, while Bradberry allowed eight touchdowns for the Giants last season, he's been consistent and reliable in coverage. During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, per Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks posted mediocre 77.9 and 70.1 passer ratings when targeting him. For four consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2020, he never yielded higher than a 58 percent completion rate and finished with double-digit pass breakups three times.
Under normal circumstances, Bradberry would be too expensive for the Seahawks to consider signing, especially considering they have less than $6.5 million in effective cap space available. But with him set to receive $11 million from the Giants while not even playing for them in 2022, he could be available to sign for cheap with minimal offsetting salary and then hit the free agent market again next March.
Never leaving a stone unturned, Schneider will surely look into the possibility of signing Bradberry, whose size, length, physicality, and ball skills typically would be coveted attributes in Pete Carroll's secondary. He's in on everything and at the right price, anything can happen.
With that said, Seattle isn't viewed as a contender in the NFC in the present and appears to be all-in on rolling forward with young players. From Bradberry's perspective, he will likely want to join a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, as Kansas City and Baltimore have already emerged as teams with possible interest in signing him. The puzzle pieces simply don't line up.
While Bradberry would be an immediate upgrade in the short-term, his presence would keep a player like Bryant or Woolen from seeing invaluable snaps during their rookie seasons. Playing the long game with eyes on vaulting back into the playoff picture in 2023, fans shouldn't expect the Seahawks to be aggressive pursuing him and they will likely be content with their current group as constructed.
