PHOENIX – James Bradberry has no hard feelings.
Frankly, he shouldn’t. As one of the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting cornerbacks, Bradberry is preparing to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday. Including their two playoff victories, the Eagles have won 16 games this season, or six more than the Giants won in Bradberry’s two years with the team. He would have been perfectly happy to stay on the northern end of the New Jersey Turnpike, but the necessity of creating breathing room under the salary cap led to his release on May 9. The Eagles signed Bradberry nine days later.
“I was looking at it from a business standpoint,” Bradberry said here on Super Bowl Opening Night. “I knew the salary cap was what it was and where I fell on it. So, I knew either they were going to have to trade me or release me.
“It was a rough little stint there I had in New York, but I came away with a lot of great relationships. They’ve got a lot of great guys in that building over there – players, personnel. And I’ve still got a great relationship with those guys over there. So, it was a blessing.”
Bradberry said he maintains regular contact with several of his former Giants teammates, notably safety Julian Love and defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Bradberry joined the Giants as a free agent in 2020, after four years with the Carolina Panthers. In two seasons with the team, he missed only one game, vs. Cleveland on Dec. 20, 2020, when he was on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Bradberry was a steady defender who started 31 games and was a Pro Bowler in 2021, when he led the Giants with three interceptions that season.
This year, he started every game and combined with Darius Slay to give the Eagles one of the NFL’s best cornerback tandems.
The Giants received a reminder of Bradberry’s impressive skillset in their divisional playoff loss to the Eagles on Jan. 21 when the corner intercepted a Daniel Jones pass late in the first quarter.
Did the expertise he gathered in two seasons watching Jones in practice help him make that play?
“I wouldn’t say my knowledge,” the always-diplomatic Bradberry said. “Just my overall football helped me on that play.”
Now he gets to use that experience in the Super Bowl. His first step toward getting here was being cut by the Giants.
“At the time, it wasn’t the best thing,” he said. “Being in this position now, it’s a blessing in disguise. I’m grateful that it happened.”
*The Eagles added defensive tackle depth when they signed Linval Joseph…
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