James Bradberry Could Miss 6-8 Weeks With Leg Injury
After weeks of people saying he might be cut, James Bradberry got the news that he was sticking with the team, at least out of camp. It may have more to do with what he is being paid than on merit, but he had kept his job. Just a couple of days later though, that good news was followed by bad news for him. The NFL Network reported that Bradberry hurt himself in practice, and could miss 6-8 weeks.
A Gut Punch After James Bradberry Made The Roster
If all things were equal, and they just picked the 53 players with the best chance to help the Eagles going forward, Bradberry would not be here. But things are not equal. What a player is paid matters, especially in the case of James Bradberry.
His contract carries dead money. Meaning cutting him would cost them more than keeping him. If he is traded you can work around that cap hit, but no team seemed interested in acquiring his services, at least at the cost the Eagles asked for.
Howie Roseman was asked about keeping James Bradberry, and this is what he had to say.
“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 was important.”
So he made the team. But now because of the injury, he won’t get a chance to redeem himself for last year’s struggles for several weeks.
The injury is not expected to need surgery, but as Ian Rapoport pointed out, it is expected to keep him out for 6-8 weeks. Which will mean an IR stint.
For the Eagles, it lets them avoid cutting him without taking up a roster spot for as long as he is injured. but it also means they likely won’t be trading him anytime soon. Finding a trade partner for Bradberry was hard enough if he is healthy. With him on the shelf for several weeks, there will likely be no suitors.
But it will open up an extra spot on the 53-man roster once they put him on IR. Whoever that is, will likely help them more now than Bradberry, who is still learning how to play safety. But still, you never want to see guys get hurt, and you feel bad for Bradberry who everyone says is a great guy, who just so happens to be in a tough spot due to his diminishing skill set.
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The Eagles Initial 53-Man Roster: Who Survived Cutdown Day?
QB (3)
- Jalen Hurts
- Tanner McKee
- Kenny Pickett
You could have written these 3 in pen at the start of camp. They were always gonna make it, and Will Grier was never going to make it. They brought Grier in to help Moore implement his system, not to compete. The only thing that became a question was if McKee could take the QB 2 job.
RB (3)
- Saquon Barkley
- Kenny Gainwell
- Will Shipley
Like QB, there was never much competition here. These 3 were always locks. I suppose if Kendall Milton had a great camp, he could have forced the Eagles to keep 4. But that was never very likely.
WR (5)
- AJ Brown
- Devonta Smith
- Jahan Dotson
- Britain Covey
- Johnny Wilson
IR- Ainias Smith
The Eagles threw a wrench into this in the last week of camp by trading for Jahan Dotson. But even before that, everyone thought the WR3 would be someone not on the team. And it seemed a few weeks in that neither Parris Campbell nor John Ross were going to stick around. The guy who did the most for his case in camp was Johnny Wilson. Not enough to win the WR3 job, but enough to get a roster spot, especially with how willing he was as a blocker.
Ainias Smith going onto the IR is another wrench. They would have had a tough decision otherwise. he did not play well enough in camp to earn the spot, but they still have a lot of hope for him going forward. Now that he is on the IR, they can stash him for a few weeks, without wasting the roster spot.
TE (2)
- Dallas Goedert
- Grant Calcaterra
IR- Albert Okwuegbunam
Surprise Cut: EJ Jenkins
The first somewhat surprising cut, EJ Jenkins. Jenkins impressed in camp and many thought he was going to win the TE3 job. But the Eagles cut him. This could be a place to watch for them scooping someone else up, notably Jack Stoll who the Giants cut, but had been with the Eagles for a few seasons before that.
Albert O goes on the IR, letting them stash him for a bit longer while they figure stuff out.
OL (9)
- Lane Johnson
- Mekhi Becton
- Cam Jurgens
- Landon Dickerson
- Jordan Mailata
- Tyler Steen
- Fred Johnson
- Trevor Keegan
- Darian Kinnard
The question on the O-Line was more about numbers than it was about players. Would they keep 10, or only 9? They went with 9, with rookie Dylan McMahon likely being the odd man out.
EDGE (6)
- Bryce Huff
- Josh Sweat
- Nolan Smith
- Brandon Graham
- Jalyx Hunt
- Patrick Johnson
Edge Rusher is a big question mark for them. They don’t have a sure thing like Haason Reddick anymore. The players they have left have a high ceiling, but also a low floor. There are concerns about all of them going into the season, especially with Nolan Smith after a disappointing camp. Whether or not they can get consistent pressure off the edge will be a major thing to watch this season.
DT (6)
- Jalen Carter
- Jordan Davis
- Milton Williams
- Moro Ojomo
- Thomas Booker
- Bryon Young
They had some tough choices to make at DT. Tuipulotu has been here, and has been a quality player, fora few years, but Thomas Booker came on strong in camp. It turns out they both made the initial roster. Depth at DT was a big strength in 2022, and having guys behind Carter and Davis, who had conditioning issues last season, is probably smart.
(Update) Marlon Tuipulotu made the original 53-man roster, but was released when the Eagles claimed Byron Young, who was cut by the Raiders. n
LB (6)
- Devin White
- Zack Baun
- Nakobe Dean
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
- Ben VanSumeren
- Oren Burks
Linebacker is better off than it was a year ago. That is not saying much though. the question is if it is good enough. Like Edge Rusher, there is potential there. But Devin White has under performed, Zack Baun has never played LB, and Dean has yet to prove anything at this level. It might still be a major weakness, but I doubt it gets as bad as it was last season.
Oren Burks was not on the original 53 man roster, but was moved off the Practice Squad once James Bradberry was put on the IR.
CB (6)
- Darius Slay
- Kelee Ringo
- Quinyon Mitchell
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Cooper DeJean
- Eli Ricks
Corner was arguable their weakest position last year. Now it might be their deepest. Slay, Mitchell, Ringo, Rodgers, and DeJean were all locks. The question was Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe. Rick is the better corner, but Jobe is a Special Teams Ace. For now, Jobe is out. They may think he can make it onto the practice squad, where they could then call him up to play Special teams for at least the first 3 weeks. Whereas Ricks may have gotten scooped up.
Safety (4)
- CJ Gardner Johnson
- Avonte Maddox
- Reed Blankenship
- Tristin McCollum
PUP- Sydney Brown
IR- James Bradberry
Sydney Brown starting the season on the PUP list helps them with their decision making. They can keep both Maddox and McCollum for now, and then make that decision when Brown gets healthy. They definitely need the extra depth to start out. Bradberry makes it for now, but reports suggest it might be because they are working out a trade for him, with the Titans showing interest. It still doesn’t sound like he will be on the final 53-man roster.
(James Bradberry was later moved onto the IR)
Special Teams (3)
- Jake Elliott
- Braden Mann
- Rick Lovato
No surprises here. None of these 3 had any competition in camp. Braden Mann stabilized what had been a weak position for the Eagles last season. jake Elliott is among the best kickers in the league, and Rick Lovato is solid as a long-snapper gets. There was never even a chance for there to be a shakeup here.
