Getty New York Giants starting cornerback James Bradberry on December 12, 2021.
General manager Brett Veach said it himself, the secondary is a top priority for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason behind the offensive and defensive line — which are always number one and two on his mind.
Having said that, KC is at a crossroads where they could try and run it back with the players they had, which would involve re-signing key free agents like Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes as well as Daniel Sorensen, Armani Watts and Chris Lammons. The second option is to rebuild this group by acquiring new personnel from outside the organization.
That’s where a potential trade scenario could occur and Brandon Kiley of Arrowhead Pride and ESPN’s “BK & Ferrario” had the perfect solution for Chiefs Kingdom.
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Bradberry ‘Would Be Investment Chiefs Fans Have Been Waiting For’
During a recent article with Arrowhead Pride, Kiley noted potential cap casualties that could be attainable for Kansas City via trade.
One intriguing name on the list was New York Giants cornerback James Bradberry, who Kiley called “one of the best cornerbacks in the league.” He argued:
The Chiefs haven’t invested heavily in the cornerback position since Steve Spagnuolo took over as the defensive coordinator. This would be the investment Chiefs fans have been waiting for. Bradberry is a verified star at the position. He’s big, he’s physical, and he would go a long way in shutting down opposing No. 1 receivers, allowing L’Jarius Sneed to thrive in the slot.
Kiley added that KC will be facing a plethora of dynamic WR1s in 2022, making the need at cornerback that much more important. Next year’s opposition could flaunt “DeAndre Hopkins, Courtland Sutton, Michael Pittman Jr., Keenan Allen, A.J. Brown, Cooper Kupp, DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs and Mike Evans.”
“If ever there was a time to invest in the position, it’s now,” the analyst concluded.
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Availability & Price Tag
Vinny Somma of Heavy on Giants recently reported that Big Blue has been “urged” to move on from Bradberry ahead of his contract season.
The G-Men are embarking on another changing of the guards at GM and head coach, with Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll taking over. They are also deep in the hole financially with a negative $24.594 million “effective cap” deficit in 2022.
Bradberry and his $21.86 million cap hit is a major reason for that. Unless the Giants plan on extending the 28-year old corner, it would make sense to unload this contract on the cusp of a roster overhaul.
Don’t worry, the Chiefs wouldn’t take on the full force of Bradberry’s cap hit during the one-year venture. According to Kiley, “a trade would save the Giants more than $12 million against the cap, and Bradberry’s new team would take on $13.5 million for the final year of his deal.”
There’s also the matter of draft capital. It’s unclear how much the veteran might cost in a trade but if Veach has plans to extend Bradberry beyond 2022, that might boost the “cost-benefit analysis” of the move.
Depending on his market around the NFL, the price tag could be anything from a third or fourth-rounder to a seventh. It will all come down to how motivated Schoen is to get Bradberry’s contract off the books and how much of a bidding war there is to acquire him.
Bradberry has been a pillar of health during his six-year career, missing just five games total, and only two since 2017. With Big Blue, he was sidelined once in two seasons.
The 6-foot-1 cornerback is physical in coverage and should fit well in Spagnuolo’s system as an upgrade on Ward. He had a tremendous campaign in 2020 with a 79.8 grade from Pro Football Focus (79.9 in coverage). Bradberry only allowed a 56.4% catch rate that season.