National outlet predicts Eagles' can't-miss playmakers for the 2023 season
Getting back to the Super Bowl will be hard enough for the Philadelphia Eagles. And to get there, the Eagles will require someone to step up. Recently, ESPN ranked NFL rosters heading into the 2023 season. And in those rankings, the outlet also provided a prediction for who they think will be each team's breakout player. For […]
Getting back to the Super Bowl will be hard enough for the Philadelphia Eagles.
And to get there, the Eagles will require someone to step up.
Recently, ESPN ranked NFL rosters heading into the 2023 season. And in those rankings, the outlet also provided a prediction for who they think will be each team's breakout player. For the Eagles, ESPN identified two players as the x-factors moving forward. The players they named are cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
Slay and Bradberry were two very good players in the 2022 season. Much of the Eagles' secondary relied on what they could do and the dexterity they played with on defense.
So let's take a look at what ESPN had to say:
"They were elite a season ago, but corners are awfully finicky from year to year, and even stars can't always be relied upon. If they maintain their current level of play, the Eagles' defense will be mighty again, but it's no guarantee."
Slay, in 2022, collected 55 tackles and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Bradberry's stats look nearly identical to Slay's: 44 tackles, three interceptions, and 17 passes defended.
It is clear that if the Eagles plan on getting back to the Super Bowl, the play of Slay and Bradberry is important. And the Eagles paid Bradberry like he is an individual the team will rely on heavily.
In March, Philadelphia gave Bradberry a contract extension that indicates how much the team believes in him.
Bradberry signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Eagles, which included a $7,985,000 signing bonus in 2023, $20,000,000 guaranteed this year, and an average annual salary of $12,666,667.
So, to get back to the x-factor choice that ESPN gave these two, it makes sense. And if the Eagles plan on looking as good as they were in 2022, they need great cornerback play, which, as everyone knows, is a fickle endeavor.
ESPN grades Eagles’ signing of cornerback James Bradberry
The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed star cornerback James Bradyberry earlier this week.
Feature image via Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK.
