The Green Bay Packers are feeling good about their cornerback room with Jaire Alexander refocused on the team and Eric Stokes looking better after a long stretch of injury troubles. If the team decides it could use another veteran in the room for the 2024 campaign, though, the desperation of the Philadelphia Eagles could give them an intriguing — and potentially risky — trade option to consider.
Rumors have been swirling about the possibility of the Eagles moving on from veteran cornerback James Bradberry IV before the start of the 2024 season. Philadelphia signed him to a three-year, $38 million extension during the 2023 offseason, but his play did not live up to expectations despite him starting in 16 games for their defense.
The Eagles also added a pair of rookie defensive backs — Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — with their two top-40 selections in the 2024 NFL draft, giving them plenty of depth at the position alongside six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox.
With Bradberry’s future in question, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed the Packers make them a trade offer and bring the former Pro Bowler to Green Bay.
“At this point, the Eagles should be glad to just get Bradberry off the roster and avoid paying his $1.2 million salary,” Ballentine wrote on May 29. “Meanwhile, the Packers would be paying a low cost to get a player who might still have a good season or two in the tank.”
Could Packers Get a Better Draft Pick & James Bradberry?
Giving up draft capital for Bradberry would be somewhat foolish for the Packers. He allowed 56 receptions for 689 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns on 95 targets for the Eagles in 2023, earning him the lowest Pro Football Focus coverage grade (54.7) of his eight-year career. The 31-year-old also has guaranteed options due in 2024 and 2025 — if he makes the roster — that will cost roughly $26.2 million combined.
What if the Packers cut a deal for him that swapped one pick for a better one, though?
Ballentine didn’t propose any specific trade terms, but he has looked at the possible framework for a Bradberry trade before. Ballentine previously pitched a deal between Philadelphia and Arizona in which the Eagles give up Bradberry and a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for the Cardinals’ 2025 fifth-rounder — a brutally low price.
If the Packers could negotiate similar trade terms, Bradberry could become an option worth exploring even if he only turns out to be a one-and-done veteran. The Packers still have about $16.8 million in effective cap space for the 2024 season, giving them plenty of room to add Bradberry’s $4.3 million cap hit to their books.
Just how big of a priority is cornerback depth for the Packers right now, though?
Eric Stokes Could Keep Packers Out of the CB Market
Bradberry did not play his best ball in 2023, but there is a reason the Eagles opted to extend him in the first place. He had an excellent first season in Philadelphia in 2022, allowing a career-low completion percentage (46%) and notching three interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
The Packers, however, might not feel they need an additional cornerback despite external fervor about them needing to add a veteran. And a big reason why is that Stokes — their 2021 first-round pick — is back and looking good in practice.
Stokes has experienced quite a bit of injury hardship since his promising rookie year. He suffered a major foot injury in 2022 that ended his sophomore season after nine games. His difficult recovery from that injury also led to recurring hamstring injuries in 2023, keeping him out of the fold and raising questions about his long-term future.
Fortunately for Stokes, a resurgence seems possible in 2024. He will need to earn his spot in the lineup again, but second-year Carrington Vallentine is the only true threat to him winning a starting job. The Packers are also impressed with how he looks so far.
“When you look at him physically, his body looks different,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters during the first week of OTAs on May 21. “He’s hitting some fast speeds out there at practice. I can tell mentally he feels like he’s in a great place.”
