Getty The Philadelphia Eagles are signing former Saints CB Bradley Roby.
The Philadelphia Eagles are adding a Super Bowl champion to their defensive backfield.
As reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Tuesday, October 3, the Eagles are signing veteran cornerback Bradley Roby.
“Source: Former #Saints and #Broncos starting CB Bradley Roby is signing with the #Eagles after today’s workout,” writes Schultz. “I’m told Roby – who has 3 career pick-sixes – fielded interest from multiple teams, but wanted to help Philly win a Super Bowl.”
As noted by Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Roby will initially join the Eagles’ practice squad.
“The Eagles are making a move to bolster their secondary, signing veteran cornerback Bradley Roby to their practice squad, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia,” writes Zangaro.
Why Eagles Are Signing Bradley Roby
The move comes shortly after the Eagles allowed Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell to throw for 290 yards in Week 4. While Philadelphia escaped with a 34-31 win in overtime, the Eagles still allowed Howell to have his way their defensive unit while making just his fifth career start.
The lackluster showing by Philadelphia’s defensive unit was no fluke — the pass defense ranks 27th in yards allowed and 30th in passing touchdowns allowed on the season.
As Zangaro notes, the Eagles have been forced to change up their lineup in the defensive backfield following starting nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox’s injury in Week 2. Due to Maddox’s absence, Philadelphia has played starting cornerback James Bradberry on the inside as a nickel cornerback.
“Since losing Avonte Maddox in the second week of the season, the Eagles have been scrambling a bit to replace him with multiple players,” writes Zangaro. “Part of their plan has been to play starting outside cornerback James Bradberry inside at times. But the Eagles didn’t give Bradberry a three-year, $38 million contract to play nickel corner.”
When the Eagles move Bradberry inside during nickel packages, they’ve played Josh Jobe — an undrafted free agent in 2022 — on the outside in Bradberry’s usual role.
With Maddox likely out for the season following a torn pectoral injury, the hope is that Roby will be able to play the nickel role while shifting Bradberry back to the outside during nickel packages.
The 31-year-old Roby has loads of experience, starting 60 of his 126 appearances during his nine seasons in the NFL. The former first-round draft pick previously won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
While Roby mainly played in a nickel cornerback role with the Broncos across his first five seasons in the NFL, he emerged as a full-time starting cornerback in recent seasons. Outside of the 2021 season, Roby started 30 of his 33 appearances since the 2019 season.
As EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes, Roby excelled last season with the New Orleans Saints, allowing just a 56.5 quarterback rating when targeted last season in the slot.
“According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 56.5 quarterback rating when targeted as a slot receiver last year, which ranks fifth in the NFL among qualifying cornerbacks,” writes Smith.
Eagles Release LB Kyron Johnson to Clear Space for Bradley Roby
In a corresponding move to clear space for the addition of Roby, Philadelphia released linebacker Kyron Johnson from the practice squad. The 25-year-old was a sixth-round draft selection of the Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft who appeared in 16 games during his rookie season. Johnson racked up eight tackles while mainly playing a role on special teams, appearing in 63% of the defensive snaps.
While Johnson played a key role during the 2o22 season, he had yet to appear in a single game during the 2023 season.