Recent comments from James Bradberry make a trade inevitable

Philadelphia Eagles defensive back James Bradberry had a rough 2023, and his team could trade him in the coming weeks. A second-round pick back in the 2016 NFL Draft, the cornerback established himself as one of the league’s better cornerbacks in recent seasons. After a successful four-year stint with the Panthers, Bradberry earned Pro Bowl honors with the Giants in 2020 and played a crucial role in helping Philadelphia reach the Super Bowl in 2022. After the season, Philadelphia signed Bradberry to a three-year, $38 million contract, but the team is already regretting the acquisition.

James Bradberry was one of the worst cornerbacks in football last year, and the defensive back himself has admitted the team may trade him. Bradberry finished the 2023 season with a 114.3 passer rating when targeted, while his PFF grade of 54.4 ranked 100th out of 127 eligible players. Philadelphia brought back Isaiah Rodgers and selected Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the 2024 NFL Draft, so it’s safe to say the team doesn’t believe he can turn it around in 2024. Based on Bradberry’s recent comments to the media, it appears a parting of ways is inevitable.

According to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bradberry acknowledged that he “didn’t have the best season” and spoke to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio about a switch to safety. However, Fangio reportedly said that the transition won’t be easy. James Bradberry ended his interview on a low note, saying that “I could get traded” and that “if (the Eagles) want to get rid of me, they’ll get rid of me.”

Recent comments from James Bradberry make a trade inevitable

Now that he’s 31, the only teams that would consider a James Bradberry trade are teams that consider themselves contenders. Of those teams, we can pick the Kansas City Chiefs as a likely destination. After winning back-to-back Super Bowls, Kansas City enters the season with a roster talented enough to become the first team to win three consecutive Lombardi’s. While this is one of the best rosters in football, they could use more help on the back end.

Trent McDuffie is one of the best cornerbacks in football, but the rest of the secondary could use some improvement. L’Jarius Sneed is in Tennessee, which means the relatively untested Joshua Williams will be lining up opposite the lockdown cornerback. Perhaps the former fourth-round pick is up to the task, but it wouldn’t hurt to trade for a proven commodity like James Bradberry. Even if he can’t help out at cornerback, the veteran could provide some much-needed reinforcements for the unheralded safety duo of Justin Reid and Bryan Cook.

Saints try to fight

Objectively speaking, the New Orleans Saints aren’t contenders. But you can’t tell anyone in the front office that, because the organization acts like it has the talent to make a deep playoff run. That’s why they could try to trade James Bradberry, but only if Marshon Lattimore’s injury is serious. The Pro Bowl cornerback suffered a hip flexor injury during practice on Thursday, and as of this writing, the severity of the injury isn’t known, but early reports indicate it could keep him out of the game for one to six weeks.

Considering he’s missed 17 games over the past two seasons, Lattimore’s latest injury only underscores the need for more depth. Second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry should keep one starting spot, but a James Bradberry trade would ensure there’s at least one reliable veteran at cornerback for a team hoping to capitalize on a weak NFC South.

Main photo: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports