The Philadelphia Eagles were thought to be interested in Stephon Gilmore and Patrick Peterson in free agency. Neither one ended up signing a contract to wear a midnight green jersey. Now the team has been tied to another stud cornerback who could be released or traded in the coming days.
The New York Giants have been attempting to move James Bradberry, but his $14.5 million average annual salary has apparently scared teams off. The NFC East basement dwellers might be forced to cut the one-time Pro Bowler to free up $10.1 million if Bradberry is designated with a post-June 1 release date. If that happens, expect the Eagles to make a phone call.
According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, general manager Howie Roseman is “expected to aggressively pursue Bradberry if and when he becomes available.” The Eagles don’t have a starting-caliber cornerback on the roster to pair opposite Darius Slay after letting Steven Nelson walk in free agency.
Great coverage on 4th down by #Giants free-agent signing James Bradberry.
Bradberry ranked 58th among all qualifying corners in 2021 with a 62.8 grade, per Pro Football Focus. He would step in immediately and start for the Eagles. Other teams thought to be vying for Bradberry’s services are the Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.
“Philadelphia must be better prepared to defend the pass going forward if they hope to win the NFC East over Dak Prescott and the high-octane Dallas Cowboys,” wrote Melo. “Signing away Bradberry from their division rival Giants would also lead to some fun bragging rights and talking points for Eagles fans.”
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Eagles Keep Saying They Like Their Young CBs
Many expected the Eagles to take a cornerback in the 2022 NFL draft, especially after rumors circulated about them possibly moving up. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. were the two biggest names linked to them. But the team ignored the position and traded up for Jordan Davis.
At CB, Eagles’ public messaging has been consistent with behind-the-scenes talk since January — they’re intrigued by their 2nd-year CBs (Zech McPhearson, Tay Gowan, Kary Vincent, Mac McCain).
Remember: The Eagles traded a 6th-rd pick for Vincent, acquired Gowan in Ertz trade.
After the draft, Roseman addressed the decision not to take a cornerback and hyped up the young options on his roster. Philadelphia did ink Clemson’s Mario Goodrich and Alabama’s Joshua Jobe as undrafted rookie free agents.
“We tried to get a little more aggressive after the draft,” Roseman said, “but I think the way we look at the defensive backfield position, particularly the corners, when you look at kind of what we did last year after we got to camp and claiming Mac [McCain III] and bringing Mac in and trading for Josiah [Scott] and trading for Kary [Vincent, Jr.] and trading for Tay [Gowan], those are all guys that we had good grades on.
“They are young, talented guys that will have the first time going through our offseason program, and we look at them almost as part of this draft class in terms of adding guys who, for the first time, go through our offseason and get a chance to be with our coaches.”
Team Signs 3 Players to Rookie Contracts
The Eagles officially inked defensive tackle Jordan Davis, linebacker Kyron Johnson, and tight end Grant Calcaterra to rookie contracts on Thursday. Those deals were just formalities as the team looks to get all five of their draft picks under contract for the start of rookie minicamps this weekend.
Eagles have signed three members of the 2022 Draft Class as players report for this weekend’s Rookie Camp.
Davis’ deal was the most noteworthy as the first-rounder signed a four-year deal worth $17 million fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Davis will be fighting for a starting spot on the defensive line alongside Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox.
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Eagles Expected to ‘Aggressively Pursue’ Pro Bowl CB from NFC East Rival