It's getting desperate in Philly!
The Dallas Cowboys have watched most of their NFC rivals push the envelope this offseason to upgrade their rosters. Teams like the Eagles and Lions have spent a ton of money. While Brandon Aiyuk could end up getting traded, the vaunted 49ers are returning most of their core pieces.
Winners of 12 games for three-straight season, the Cowboys will have their sights set on the NFC's No. 1 seed. However, most would agree that repeating as division champs is a more realistic goal.
While the Commanders and Giants got better on paper this offseason, the Eagles are far and away Dallas' biggest competition in the NFC East. The Cowboys were literal inches away last season from sweeping Philadelphia, which choked away the division in historic fashion over the final four games.
As they typically do, the Eagles won the offseason for both their proactive asset management and attaining great value in the NFL Draft. The Cowboys can learn a thing or two from their rival, but Philly is far from perfect. In fact, their latest move with a declining player revealed arguably their biggest weakness.
Eagles moving James Bradberry to safety is great news for Cowboys' Dak Prescott
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni revealed at minicamp that James Bradberry is practicing at safety. An All-Pro with Philadelphia just two seasons ago, Bradberry experienced a shocking decline last season. He was arguably the weakest link in an Eagles secondary that was among the worst in the NFL.
Bradberry's 54.7 coverage grade ranked 60th of 69 cornerbacks who played at least 500 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He also allowed the ninth-highest passer rating at the position and his nine touchdowns allowed were tied for the most among corners.
Bradberry's performances against the Cowboys in particular were especially dreadful. In the two games, he allowed 12 catches on 17 targets for 131 yards, two touchdowns and a 131.1 passer rating. It's not hyperbole to say Bradberry was the worst cornerback in the league.
The Eagles would love to cut bait with Bradberry, but his contract makes that difficult, if not impossible. If released with a post-June 1 designation, Bradberry would cost $4.305 million in dead money on this year's salary cap and a lofty $10.813 million against next year's cap.
Sirianni and GM Howie Roseman clearly think a move to safety will boost Bradberry's trade value. That's wishful thinking, however, as Bradberry will turn 31 in August and has no guaranteed money left after this season. He could be signed for likely the vet minimum in the offseason.
The Eagles have a talented trio of corners in veteran Darius Slay and rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to offset Bradberry's position change. Having picked apart Philly's secondary last season, though, Dak Prescott is undoubtedly licking his chops after finding out that Bradberry will be the Eagles' last line of defense.
