PHILADELPHIA — James Bradberry and the Philadelphia Eagles appear to be a match made in heaven. Bradberry is the missing piece the Eagles secondary needed, showcasing his brilliance through the first four weeks of the season as the perfect complement to Darius Slay in a secondary that’s been giving wide receivers around the league fits.
After another standout performance in the pouring rain and howling wind against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bradberry was the star of the show with Slay leaving the game and Avonte Maddox out. CB2 was back to being CB1, similar to Bradberry’s days starring with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.
Which brought Slay to ask the $10 million question. How did the Giants allow Bradberry to walk out of the building?
Bradberry responded in kind: “You have to ask the Giants that.”
Bradberry was targeted four times in Sunday’s win, allowing three completions for 53 yards as the primary defender. He allowed just one 20-plus yard completion and finished with an interception (his second in four games with the Eagles). Trevor Lawrence had just a 37.5 passer rating when targeting Bradberry, who played a significant role in why the Jaguars could not move the ball downfield.
“My goal is always to create turnovers and make plays on the ball,” Bradberry said. “Right now, I’m doing a good job and holding myself up to my standard.”
Through four games, Bradberry has allowed just 12 completions on 25 attempts as the primary defender in coverage. Opposing quarterbacks have just a 4.48 yards per attempt targeting Bradberry with a 21.3 passer rating, as Bradberry has two interceptions and a defensive touchdown.
Fair to wonder how the Giants let Bradberry leave the building, even if the reason was to clear salary cap space thanks to a slew of bad contracts by Dave Gettleman (who isn’t in the building anymore either).
The Giants loss is the Eagles gain. The secondary couldn’t be happier with Bradberry and how he’s fitting in with Philadelphia. This move appears to be more than a one-year rental.
“We got a really, really good DB group. It’s kind of like a family back here,” Bradberry said. “They kind of gravitate towards me like I gravitate towards them.”
