James Bradberry has quietly been one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks over the last few seasons. A sturdy four-year starter with the Carolina Panthers, Bradberry joined the New York Giants in the summer of 2020 and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in his first season with the team. Two years later, Bradberry was released by the Giants, per Dan Duggan of the Athletic, and is now the hottest corner on the market in search of a new team.
The Giants had been searching for a potential trade partner for Bradberry since the end of the season but couldn’t find anyone willing to take on the final year of his three-year, $43.5 million deal. Cutting Bradberry saves the cap-starved Giants $10.1 million but leaves them without their best cornerback. Releasing Bradberry likely wasn’t the Giants preference, but that’s the price of cap mismanagement. The Giants are projected to have around just $2 million in effective cap space, per Over the Cap. But that’s a story for another day.
Instead, the focus is on Bradberry and where he could take his services. He’ll be 29 years old when the season starts, but still very much at his physical peak. He’s a smart and instinctive zone defender and can hold his own in man-coverage too. Bradberry’s market will be deep, even this late into the free agency process, but where are the top landing spots?
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts front office took a big step towards improving their team in the offseason. Carson Wentz was traded to the Washington Commanders after a disappointing season with the team, and in his place was former-MVP and Atlanta Falcons legend, Matt Ryan. Ryan might not still be in his prime, but he gives the Colts a much better chance of winning and making a run in the playoffs.
Defensively, the Colts have improved as well. They traded away Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue and signed Stephon Gilmore to a two-year deal, but there’s room to grow. Specifically at cornerback. The current depth-chart, outside of Gilmore and Kenny Moore, is bleak. And that’s without taking into account that Moore generally plays in the slot.
The Colts need help on the boundary and there’s every chance that Bradberry could be the solution. Bradberry would figure to fit in well in Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defensive scheme, which is deeply rooted in zone coverage, typically Cover 3. An instant fit for Bradberry and an upgrade for the Colts.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles would probably love to keep James Bradberry in the NFC East, as long as it was on their terms. Like the Colts, the Eagles took steps towards improvement this offseason. They revamped their pass-rush, adding Haason Reddick and traded for a true number one receiver in A.J. Brown on draft night. If Jalen Hurts can take another step in his development, the Eagles are in good stead in a division that hasn’t gotten much better.
Like the Colts, the Eagles have to get better in their secondary. Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox are coming off strong years, especially Slay, who re-emerged as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks after a few down years. But the rest of the Eagles cornerbacks have question marks.
Zech McPhearson and Josiah Scott are both young corners with potential, but neither have really made a real impact at the NFL level yet. The Eagles need depth in the secondary if they’re to overtake the Dallas Cowboys as the top team in the East.
Adding Bradberry to the mix gives the Eagles another quality starter, but also takes the weight off the other young corners on the roster. It would also give the team two ball-hawking corners on the boundary with Slay and Bradberry.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals were just minutes away from winning their first-ever Lombardi Trophy last season. It was the offensive line that caused their downfall in Super Bowl 56, but the Bengals took immense steps to upgrade their protection in the offseason. It’s rare that Super Bowl teams get better on paper, but the Bengals did.
They drafted defensive back, Daxton Hill, in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in addition to completely retooling their offensive line. It’s a lot of improvement, but the Bengals shouldn’t rest on their laurels. The Bengals have good depth in the secondary – among the best in the league – but Bradberry would instantly be a starter alongside Chidobe Awuzie.
That role is currently occupied by Eli Apple, whose performances last season were up and down, at best. Apple can still be a factor on defense, but no other Bengals corner gave up more touchdowns in coverage than him last year. It would be wise for the Bengals to make the move for Bradberry and strengthen their starting spot. The depth is fantastic, but Bradberry gives the defense another star.
With Mike Hilton in the slot, and Awuzie and Bradberry on the perimeters, the Bengals defense could be just as good, if not better, next season.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are in an interesting position. Their playoff run was ended somewhat prematurely by the Bengals after finishing with the best record in the AFC. It wasn’t a fluke that they finished atop the AFC either. The Titans were a legitimately great team in 2021. The defense took immense strides after being a huge disappointment a year prior. The offense was humming, even without Derrick Henry, and Ryan Tannehill had another strong year.
However, the offense just won’t be the same without Brown, who was traded to the Eagles on draft night. The Titans replaced him with first round pick, Treylon Burks, but it’ll be tough to recreate the impact of Brown. The offense will still be in the hands of Henry.
Defensively, not much changed for the Titans, but that’s a good thing. Continuity in any form is an underrated facet in the NFL. Having the same personnel on a unit that was really good a year prior, can only be a good thing. But they can get better by adding Bradberry.
The Titans secondary needs an injection of experience. Sure, there’s Kevin Byard at safety, but the starting cornerbacks are Caleb Farley and Kristian Fulton – two very good, but very young players. They also drafted Roger McCreary in the second round of the draft, but again, more youth. There’s nothing wrong with being a young team, but if the Titans have real aspirations of winning the AFC South for the third year in a row, they could use a player like Bradberry to give the secondary a boost.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders make more sense than anyone. They traded for Ya-Sin in the offseason, but their cornerback depth is still a question mark. Nate Hobbs broke out as one of the best slot corners in the NFL, but they lost Casey Hayward to free agency. Ya-Sin and Trayvon Muller are the projected starters ahead of the 2022 NFL season, which is why Bradberry could be of use.
The scheme fit makes more sense than any other team too. Bradberry broke out under the watchful eye of Patrick Graham, the former Giants defensive coordinator. Graham left the Giants to join the Raiders as their defensive coordinator this offseason, and if anyone can get the best out of Bradberry, it’s him.
Under Graham, the Raiders will be a multifaceted defense in every sense of the word. They’ll use different fronts, mix up the coverages, and likely blitz more often than they did under Bradley. Bradberry understands the system and has proven that he can be a star in it. Of course, he’s a great player that can work in most defenses, but it helps to be in a system that you know.
The Raiders have the need and the fit is there. They should be all over Bradberry over the next couple of weeks.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @ThomasValenfine
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