James Bradberry has his ‘vindication’ as the Eagles’ crafty All-Pro corner after the Giants cut him

James Bradberry takes a deep breath, cozying into a booth at a local burger joint. His hands are clasped, his mind engaged. Bradberry is always pondering, always running on a schedule. The recently minted second-team All-Pro cornerback is feeling refreshed at the conclusion of his post-practice massage.

As he waits for his order to be called at the pickup window, Bradberry disengages his hands momentarily. He places both of them on the table, palms facing upward. He begins to count.

“One, two, three, four,” Bradberry murmurs while he simultaneously raises a finger with each number, “five, six, seven, eight.”

He stops himself, realizing it’s been exactly eight months since he was cut by the New York Giants as a salary-cap casualty. Bradberry saw the writing on the wall leading up to his release in May. The Giants were heading in a new direction under rookie coach Brian Daboll, and by cutting Bradberry, they created $10.1 million in cap savings.

“I always think ahead, so I kind of knew I was always going to be released,” he says now. “I was really waiting for them to release me.”

In the days following his release, Bradberry and his representation were working the phone lines. Because of the timing, his market was much smaller than he would’ve hoped for, but Bradberry assured he wasn’t going to cut himself short. He wanted to bet on himself by signing a short-term deal this season with an eye on hitting the open market in free agency in 2023. His main priorities were identifying a scheme fit and also wanting to play for a contender.

“Going to a team that had potential to go to the playoffs and make some noise,” he says, “That was definitely part of it.”

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Sure enough, the Eagles emerged as an ideal fit for both parties. The Eagles still had a major need at the position after they declined to select a defensive back in the draft. They flirted with a couple of free agents, but ultimately they were left with a hole on the side opposite Darius Slay. Bradberry didn’t necessarily seek immediate revenge against the Giants, but he fortified a division rival when he signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the Eagles.

With a full season together under their belts, Bradberry and Slay represent one of the league’s best CB duos. The top-seeded Eagles appear primed for a deep playoff push as they begin postseason play on Saturday when they host the Giants in the NFC divisional round.

Bradberry met with The Inquirer for two hours last week. The 29-year-old discussed an array of topics — his emphasis on recovery, the intricacies involved when it comes to studying a wide receiver, the joy he experienced in Philadelphia after being released from the Giants, and the looming payday that awaits one of the league’s top corners in free agency.

“Vindication — that’s the part that makes me happy the most,” Bradberry says. “The Giants are doing well, too, so it’s not a knock against them. But I felt like they didn’t really believe in me. They didn’t believe in my ability.

“So I’m just coming back at them, showing them I can still make plays, that I can be a contributor and be part of a great team. That’s probably the most fun part of it.”

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After his responsibilities wrap up at the NovaCare Complex, Bradberry encounters a dose of rush-hour traffic on the Walt Whitman Bridge en route to his restaurant of choosing in Cherry Hill.

“JAMES!” our server shouts.

Bradberry pauses, jumps to his feet, and shuffles his way toward the counter. Before he retrieves his order — a mushroom burger, side of crinkle cut fries, and a tiramisu shake – he politely asks the teenage employee for two cups of water. She obliges.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he says.

Bradberry prioritizes his manners. Whenever he encounters a staffer at the team facility — a trainer, coach, cafeteria worker, janitor, even a reporter — Bradberry makes sure to include “ma’am” or “sir” at the conclusion of his remarks. His attitude follows him to the field, where he prefers to let his game do a majority of the talking.

“My mindset is ‘Nobody is going to beat me,’” Bradberry says. “But I don’t have to let the other guy know that.”

Bradberry’s mild-tempered persona deviates from many of his NFL peers. His position is largely built on stardom, with trash-talking defensive backs sitting on an invisible throne (see: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jaire Alexander, Jalen Ramsey, etc.). Bradberry, though, is a tough one to crack.

“I think his upbringing has everything to do with the type of man he’s grown to become,” says his mother, Rosie Wilson, in a telephone interview.

She raised Bradberry in a single-parent household in his native Pleasant Grove, Ala. His mother said Bradberry’s most important chore while growing up was taking care of his younger sister, Takia. The weekends would be designated for youth sports on Saturdays — in addition to football, Bradberry and Takia also played basketball — and attending worship services at 25th Avenue Baptist Church in nearby Birmingham. When Bradberry visits his hometown during the offseason, church is a must, according to his mother, who serves as an associate pastor.

“I just kept him busy, preoccupied,” she says. “All the time, he was involved with sports or church activities. I felt that was best for him, especially because I had to work so much. He did very well with that. He was a good caretaker for his sister, and he still is.”

“Most people say I’m pretty easygoing, laid-back,” Bradberry says, “I would describe that’s how Alabama is. It’s very chill.”

From time to time, Bradberry likes to recall the day that he got drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2016. He labels these moments as a perfect description of who he is as a person.

A four-year starter at Samford, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bradberry made a good showing at the Senior Bowl and built his profile as a physical cornerback with a long wingspan (78.625 inches) and large hands (9.13 inches). On Day 2 of that year’s draft, his mother arranged a small get-together at the family’s home. As the draft progressed, Bradberry became increasingly anxious. His lifelong goal of making it to the NFL was within reach, but for Bradberry, those minutes leading up to hearing his name announced on TV felt like an eternity.

In an attempt to ease her son’s mind, Wilson assigned Bradberry a couple of household chores. While he was attempting to fix his mother’s broken toilet, his phone rang. Bradberry initially didn’t recognize the number, so he ignored the call, and focused on the task at hand. After a few more rings, Bradberry answered and then-general manager Dave Gettleman informed him that the Panthers were selecting him in the second round with the No. 62 pick.

Bradberry immediately dropped everything and hugged his mother.

“I remind him,” Wilson says, “that whether he plays a great game or if it’s a bad game, at the end of the day, he is still James Bradberry. My message will always be ‘Represent your family well and represent yourself well.’”

There are three bold words painted high above the doors that lead to the training room at the Giants facility in East Rutherford, N.J.

“AVAILABILITY IS KEY,” the slogan reads.

The same message was implemented by former Panthers and current Giants special teams coach Thomas McGaughey during Bradberry’s rookie season. That same year, Bradberry missed three games with turf toe.

“That kind of started it,” Bradberry says. “But it was the realization that playing in the league, you’re going to injure something at some point. It might not require surgery, but it’s going to need a lot of attention. So every year, I would have a nick here, a nick there that I’d have to deal with.

“I’ve decided to really up my routine.”

Over the last several years, Bradberry has transformed his recovery program. In addition to receiving regular treatment from the team’s training staff, Bradberry often will schedule acupuncture or other forms of advanced therapy during his off days. Every now and then, he’ll ask Eagles tackle Lane Johnson to use his home gym, equipped with a shockwave therapy machine, as a personal meeting space with his physical therapist.

Aside from his rookie season, Bradberry has been an iron man. Since 2017, he has played in at least 15 games each season. Over the last two seasons with the Giants and Eagles, he hasn’t missed a single game.

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Bradberry commends the Eagles for their efforts in the recovery space. Earlier in the season, the team faced a quick turnaround with a looming game on Thursday night at Houston. Immediately after the Eagles defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers that Sunday in Philadelphia, players were assigned to mandatory recovery stations that were temporarily set up inside the locker room.

“This is the first place I’ve been where they really have advanced recovery,” he says. “It’s really all in the pressure, and finding the spots. Also knowing the body, knowing what’s connected, and what’s hindering, say your shoulder. Like, it could be something going on in your neck or back, and it’s affecting the front shoulder. It’s about dealing with knowledgeable people.

“My routine came together over the years. It wasn’t something that I set out and planned at the beginning. I just started doing more stuff over time. Availability is key ... It’s true.”

Bradberry had a good feeling that his former teammates would try him in Week 14.

During that game, which resulted in the Giants’ most lopsided loss of the season, 48-22, Giants receivers attempted to beat Bradberry with a multitude of double moves. He recalls at least six instances in which his opposing receiver attempted to get him to bite before the player reached the top of his route.

“I feel like that’s because they know I’m a smart player,” Bradberry says, smiling.

Outside of football, Bradberry considers astrology, music, and art as several of his main interests. He views playing cornerback in the NFL as its own unique art form. The position is based heavily on instincts and technique. Bradberry becomes wide-eyed as he delves into the preparation that comes with preparing for a wide receiver.

One of the main principles that Bradberry highlights while studying film is the offense’s alignment.

“If you look at formations and see where guys are lined up, you can kind of see what’s about to happen,” he says.

Once Bradberry and his teammates in the secondary process what type of personnel the offense is in, he’s able to distinguish the likelihood of a pass or run play. If he anticipates a run, he’ll still keep tabs on the receiver in front of him, but his instincts to chase the football and crash the box widen. When it’s a known passing situation, that’s when Bradberry tends to feast. Depending on the exact opposition and in-game scenario, he’ll use a simple process of elimination to determine what type of technique he’ll play. It’s a toss-up if he’ll deploy himself in outside or inside leverage. Even when Bradberry might be incorrect with his first guess, he’ll use his size and physicality to regain lost ground and make a play.

It’s the exact formula he has perfected as one of the league’s best zone corners.

“Certain guys only run certain routes,” Bradberry says. “There are anomalies like DeVonta Smith — he’ll run every route in the route tree. But a lot of guys who will only run 9s or post routes or go balls because they’re really fast. Then you’ll have some guys who are bigger bodies, so they’ll run a lot of in-breaking routes, a lot of short routes. Certain guys have certain routes in key moments of the game. So you have to remember that.

“It’s really a game of Battleship. Trying to figure out what they’re going to run. I get a feel for certain tells as the game goes on. Also, just me playing football so much, I get a feel for that like if I’m playing off, I can look at you, and read your momentum. I can do that when I’m pressed against you, too. Like how you come off the ball. During those moments, I’m trying to figure out if you’re trying to fight to get over top of me, are you trying to stay behind me to run a curl?

“There are a lot of different mannerisms that you have to pay attention to.”

When Bradberry retreats to the sideline at the conclusion of the drive, he enjoys sharing information with his teammates. That shared knowledge isn’t limited to Slay, either. Bradberry says these conversations are most insightful after drives in which he gets beaten. He recalls Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb getting the best of him during the team’s loss on Christmas Eve at Dallas. In the moments that followed, Bradberry spent a majority of the flight watching film.

“JB is really consistent,” second-year cornerback Zech McPhearson says. “You can learn a lot from him, especially being in my position as a younger player. Having JB come with all the years he’s been in the league, I can say he’s been a really big help to all of the younger guys in the room. We love JB, for sure.”

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Said practice-squad cornerback Mac McCain: “I’ve learned a lot watching JB. He’s really technically sound. He [homes] in on the basic stuff. His IQ part of things, a lot of times, he’ll know a lot of stuff is happening before it actually happens. I’ll ask him, ‘How did you know that dig or hitch or whatever is coming?’ And he’ll break it down for me.”

Bradberry concludes: “For me, it’s about beating them to that spot and letting them know you can’t get nothing against me.”

Throughout his career, Bradberry has been his team’s unquestioned No. 1 cornerback.

He was immediately slotted into a starting role during his rookie season. Some of his regular assignments included defending star wide receivers from across the division: Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, and Mike Evans. Since 2016, Bradberry leads all NFL defensive backs in passes defensed with 99. Slay is second with 98 pass breakups over that span.

Bradberry’s steadiness followed him to New York. He signed with the Giants as a free agent before the 2020 season. His three-year deal worth $43.5 million made him the fourth-highest-paid cornerback at the time. In his first season with the Giants, Bradberry was named a Pro Bowler. His stellar play continued the following season, but the Giants collectively struggled.

“When we got to the [2021] season, we got to the middle part and towards the end, [it] wasn’t going how we wanted it to go,” Bradberry says. “We kept losing. You could see it was not clicking. It just was not. I also knew I wasn’t guaranteed much money for the next year. I knew my cap number was going to be high.

“So I knew if we didn’t do well, potentially our coach [Joe Judge] was going to get fired and potentially I was going to get fired. I kind of saw it coming. I just didn’t know if they were going to trade me or not. Or if they were going to just flat-out release me. That was the dilemma. When I saw they were looking to trade me, I won’t say it felt good, but at least they didn’t just try to throw me out there on the street. I knew I held weight because I was worth something.”

The Giants, however, failed to find a trade partner.

When Bradberry signed with the Eagles, he provided Jonathan Gannon’s defense with another alpha to pair with five-time Pro Bowler Slay, who actually was one of the first players to reach out to his new teammate.

“I told him, ‘Man, our goal is for us two to be the best in the game,’” Slay recalls of his message to Bradberry. “I wanted JB to get the respect he deserves because he’s been playing at a high level for a looong time. I want him to keep getting recognized as one of the best in this game.”

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This season, Bradberry has proved he’s still elite. His opponent passer rating, 55.9, ranks third in the NFL, while he and Slay are the only duo in the league to record 14-plus passes defensed and three interceptions each. There’s still more football to be played with the Eagles holding home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, but Bradberry assuredly cashed in after he bet on himself with his one-year deal.

He has been so exceptional that it’s fair to wonder if he has positioned himself out of the Eagles’ price range.

“He’s done made plenty of money already, and he’s going to make more!” Slay says. “I’m happy for him. The goal was to get him paid again. When the time comes, that time will come for him. But he’s for sure made himself a lot of money.”

Bradberry hasn’t ruled out a return.

However, that scenario seems dubious based on multiple factors: No. 1, the Eagles already are allocating a hefty amount of funds at the position (see: Slay). No. 2, the large number of impending free agents, including seven defensive starters. No. 3, quarterback Jalen Hurts is eligible to sign his own contract extension at the conclusion of the season. And No. 4, Bradberry’s value seemingly increases after every game.

“I know the numbers will handle itself, whether I make $15 million a year, $12 million a year, $10 million a year, $8 million a year — that’s still a lot of money to me, because I made a lot of money in New York,” Bradberry says. “It’s not really about the money for me, but it kind of is because I know I should be valued like a top cornerback in this league. So I’m not going to say it’s not going to be a factor, because it is. But that’s not everything.”

What exactly is everything?

“I haven’t done a whole lot of winning in my career,” Bradberry says. “For sure, this is the most fun I’ve had. I like winning. Second playoff game coming up, I’ve only been to one. Everything has been going perfect thus far. Individually, I played well. Collectively, we’ve played well as a team.

“And we still have potential to do more. I really couldn’t ask for a better situation.”