At Tuesday’s practice, a Philadelphia Eagles veteran in the secondary suffered an injury after the coaching asked him to switch to a position he had never played before. The injury could complicate general manager Howie Roseman’s job this summer.
The Eagles were expected to make a few important changes to the secondary before the season when they spent their first two draft picks on cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. There were rumors that the Eagles might try to trade All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry after he chose not to participate in voluntary OTAs. Bradberry struggled during the 2023 season.
James Bradberry had a rough 2023 season
As Alex Ballentine with Bleacher Report recently wrote, Bradberry’s time as an elite cornerback is winding down:
The 30-year-old cover man enjoyed one of his best seasons when he arrived in 2022. But he was the embodiment of the Eagles’ collapse down the season’s final stretch last year. He was charged with giving up 11 touchdowns in coverage and a passer rating of 114.3 after giving up a 51.6 mark.
A combination of the change at defensive coordinator, a less effective pass rush and just plain old aging probably attributed to Bradberry’s jarring drop-off. Corner is a volatile position by nature, and he’s hitting an age where many players slow down.”
Bradberry suffered an injury
According to John McMullen, Bradberry suffered an injury during individual drills Tuesday. He briefly went into the medical tent before returning to the sideline. He did not participate during the team period.
It’s unclear how severe Bradberry’s injury is. The injury could affect how Roseman proceeds this offseason. Bradberry is a cut candidate, and the Eagles had a chance to salvage something for losing Bradberry if they traded him.
The Eagles had another plan for Bradberry.
The Philadelphia Eagles switched Bradberry to safety
Per Eliot Shorr-Parks with 94 WIP, the Eagles asked Bradberry to switch to a new position before mandatory minicamp:
“Nick Sirianni says James Bradberry is taking reps at safety Says lots of great corners have gone on to be great safeties Unclear if that’s a permanent move, but it is interesting”
Bradberry needs the reps at safety if he wants playing time in the secondary this season. Tuesday’s injury can only be another frustration for Bradberry and the Eagles.
