Why is James Bradberry still an Eagle?

Not that long ago, it seemed like there was about a 0 percent chance that James Bradberry would be an Eagle in 2024.

After the disastrous season he had in 2023? After the Eagles moved him from cornerback to safety in a desperate last-ditch attempt to either make him a functional NFL player again or increase his trade value? After a poor performance in his final preseason game a couple weeks ago against the Patriots?

Yet here we are.

The Eagles’ biggest roster surprise Tuesday was a spot on the 53-man roster for the 31-year-old Bradberry, who sputtered through a historically awful 2023 season.

It’s been a bizarre offseason for Bradberry, and his situation is still strange. He’s a backup safety who hasn’t played a single special teams snap since 2021. A backup safety who’s never played safety in an NFL regular-season game. A backup safety at an age where the Eagles haven’t had a backup safety since Tim Hauck in 2001.

The Eagles didn’t have to keep Bradberry. They’re set with starters Reed Blankenship and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and backups Avonte Maddox and Tristin McCollum. So now they have five safeties on the roster, with Sydney Brown expected back at some point fairly early in the season.

Why?

This is Howie Roseman’s explanation:

“James always has had really good football instincts. When you see him play safety every day here and see his ability to diagnose his football instincts. I think for all of us, that's a transition, that's a different position than playing outside corner. 

"He's got a skill set. It's a long season. We already know that he's had tremendous success in this league playing outside corner as well. With the goals that we have for this football team, having a veteran player like that on the roster that we know we can rely on when called upon, we felt like it was important.”

Nick Sirianni, asked what Bradberry has shown him over the summer at safety, said only, “Versatility, football IQ. Yeah, same type of thing Howie was just talking about.”

OK.

There’s a chance the Eagles have another move in mind. Roseman has been trying to trade Bradberry for months now, and maybe he’ll continue doing that. Bradberry is a vested veteran, so his 2024 salary is guaranteed if he’s on the roster the week of the opener – which because the Eagles play a week from Friday would be early next week. And nobody really needs five safeties.

Roseman was asked whether Bradberry is guaranteed a roster spot all year, and he essentially said no player is guaranteed a spot all year.

“When you're talking about our 53-man roster at any position, things come up,” he said. “Opportunities arise for our football team, for other football teams, so I don't want to get into that with not only him, but anyone, because that backs you in a corner.

“We say this to our players. Our word's all we got. When we tell our players something, when we tell other teams something, we're going to abide by that. I'd hate to get up here and be dramatic about anything about anyone on the roster because through the course of the season things come up and opportunities arise.

“He's on the team because we think he can help our team.”

Bradberry, a 2^nd-team all-pro corner in 2022 and the NFL’s lowest-rated corner last year according to Pro Football Focus, didn’t have a terrible training camp, although he certainly struggled in New England. 

He didn't make any splash plays, but he never looked out of place at safety, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been clearly impressed with Bradberry’s ability to move from corner to safety.

“J.B. is a really smart player, he's experienced, and he's been able to carry over what he’s learned as a corner to the safety position,” Fangio said last week.

“Now, having said that, it's still new. Every day he's being exposed to something new. … But overall, he's doing good. Better than I thought he would do.”

At 31, Bradberry is one of only four position players on the roster in his 30s. The others are Darius Slay, who’s 33, Lane Johnson, 34, and Brandon Graham, 36.

There’s a very short list of Eagles who’ve played safety after their 31^st birthday. Malcolm Jenkins played here till he was 32 and Rodney McLeod till he was 31. Corey Graham was 32 and 33 in his two years here, 2017 and 2018. Before that it’s Dawk, Blaine Bishop, Hauck, Mike Zordich, Wes Hopkins, Rich Miano, Andre Waters and Randy Logan.

One thing about Bradberry. No matter what happens next, he’s handled what could have been a very awkward situation extremely well. He’s been accountable, and he’s never complained.

“He's a pro, and he's been a pro ever since he's come into this building,” Sirianni said. “He's led by example. He's led with his play and guys look up to him.”