James Bradberry and the team agreed to terms on a one-year $7.5 million contract on Wednesday morning, bringing to Philadelphia a high-level cornerback to team with Darius Slay on the outside and Avonte Maddox on the inside, along with a group of promising young players developing as the Eagles continue their offseason program.
In 2020, he was a Pro Bowl selection. In 2021, Bradberry recorded a career-high four interceptions and two fumble recoveries and added 17 passes defensed. He was in Carolina for four seasons and then with the Giants for two years.
Bradberry, 28, was a second-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2016 after a collegiate career at Samford, and at 6-1, 212 pounds has good size and strength. He was an instant-impact player for the Panthers, for whom he started all 60 games he played in four seasons. Carolina allowed Bradberry to enter free agency in 2020 and he promptly signed a three-year deal with the Giants.
In New York, Bradberry recorded seven interceptions and 35 passes defensed in the 32 games he started and was a tough matchup for every receiver with his skills, savvy, and toughness. The 2020 season ended with Bradberry in the Pro Bowl with a performance that, according to Pro Football Focus, made him one of the top five players at his position in the league: According to PFF, Bradberry was targeted 78 times, allowing 44 catches for 454 yards to go along with three interceptions and 14 passes defended.
In addition to the surprise signing of Bradberry, the Eagles made a roster move Tuesday, claiming wide receiver Josh Hammond off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Hammond is a 6-foot, 194-pound wide receiver who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a rookie free agent out of Florida in 2020.
• The 23-year-old Hammond spent the past two seasons on the Jaguars’ practice squad, but appeared in two games in 2021. He made his NFL debut in Week 16 against the Jets and was on the gameday roster for the Week 18 upset of the Colts. He played 13 snaps on offense in the two games.
• Hammond was the Jaguars’ leading receiver in the 2021 preseason, with 12 catches for 124 yards.
• A native of Hallandale, Florida, Hammond appeared in 49 games (31 starts) for the Florida Gators and finished his college career with 87 catches for 1,138 receiving yards (13.1 avg.) and six touchdowns. He also accounted for a 76-yard rushing touchdown against Kentucky.
• Hammond is now one of 12 wide receivers on the Eagles’ roster.
Then there’s this— the Eagles close their 2022 preseason schedule against Miami on August 27 as the team will conduct joint practices with the Dolphins there in the days leading up to that final game before the regular season begins.
As they have done in recent years, including a 2017 visit from Miami at the NovaCare Complex, the Eagles will work against the Dolphins at their facility prior to the preseason finale. Last summer, the Eagles hosted New England for joint practices and then went to the Jets’ facility to conduct two days of practices against New York prior to preseason games against each team.
“Somebody has a different defensive scheme, they run a lot of games up front, so set lines change, angles change, and it really gets your football team ready for something different,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “That’s what these practices are all about.”
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