ESPN grades Eagles' signing of cornerback James Bradberry
The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed star cornerback James Bradyberry earlier this week.
The Philadelphia Eagles made a smart move earlier this week by re-signing cornerback James Bradberry.
Philly signed Bradberry to a three-year deal worth $38 million.
Bradberry played for the Eagles last season on a one-year deal that he signed shortly after the New York Giants released him last May. The former Pro Bowler was released by the Giants because of salary cap issues.
The Giants will probably forever regret not finding a way to keep Bradberry in New York.
Bradberry ended up rating as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL last season. In fact, some metrics had him as the best cornerback in the league.
That's the main reason why ESPN gave the Bradberry deal an "A".
From ESPN: Bradberry was the best corner in the NFL last season. Others might disagree with putting him at the top, but I don't think there's any debate that he was one of the league's best. Let's rattle off a few of his NFL Next Gen Stats nearest-defender numbers again, shall we? 1. 0.7 yards per coverage snap (first among outside corners with at least 250 coverage snaps). 2. minus-33 EPA allowed when targeted (first). 3. minus-10.6 receptions allowed over expectation (first)
The Eagles have lost some key members of their defense this week — Javon Hargrave and T.J. Edwards, for example — but bringing Bradberry back is one of their best decisions of the offseason.
Finding elite cornerbacks isn't easy. Bradberry played at an elite level in 2022 and there's no reason to think that 2023 will be any different. This deal is a major win for the Eagles.
