Eagles’ James Bradberry doesn’t have a time frame for return from his leg injury suffered 7 weeks ago

One day after the Aug. 27 roster cutdown deadline, James Bradberry was making a cut in practice when he felt what he called “a grab” in his lower leg.

The Eagles cornerback-turned-safety initially was scared about the severity of his injury. He feared the worst-case scenario of surgery. The Inquirer reported at the time that Bradberry’s injury involved a tendon. Bradberry said tests showed that he wouldn’t need to undergo a procedure and could treat the injury through rehab.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want to get injured,” Bradberry told The Inquirer on Thursday. “But it’s a blessing in disguise that I didn’t need surgery.”

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The Eagles placed Bradberry, 31, on injured reserve the following day. The Inquirer reported that Bradberry was expected to miss six to eight weeks, which would mean that Thursday was right in the middle of that window. Still, while Bradberry called the rehab process “smooth,” he was hesitant to put a timeline on his return.

“I would hope to eventually come back,” Bradberry said. “I don’t really know the time frame right now. It’s a day-by-day process. But it’s definitely getting better week by week.”

Bradberry’s injury came on the heels of a transition to safety during the offseason program. The ninth-year player had spent the majority of his NFL career, which began with the Carolina Panthers and continued with the New York Giants, at outside cornerback.

Bradberry signed a one-year, $7.25 million deal with the Eagles ahead of the 2022 season to start at outside cornerback opposite Darius Slay. He earned a second-team All-Pro nod that year and had three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 17 pass breakups in the regular season. He postseason performance was underscored by a controversial holding call in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs that was costly in the Eagles’ loss.

That offseason, Bradberry signed a three-year, $38 million extension ($20 million guaranteed) to remain one of the cornerstones of the Eagles defense. But his play declined in 2023, as he conceded a league-high nine touchdowns in coverage among 50 cornerbacks who took at least 145 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

In the interest of maintaining some of his value to the team, Bradberry had approached the Eagles about making the transition to safety. He started two games at nickel cornerback in 2023, but safety was uncharted territory for Bradberry.

“With the way I played last year, I kind of knew going into the draft, we were probably going to target some good corners,” Bradberry said. “I knew we had some good, young corners that played well the year before. So anywhere I could expand my role and become more of an asset to the team, I felt like I needed to do that.”

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The Eagles, who drafted a pair of cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds, obliged. Bradberry called the transition to safety “smooth,” and said he picked up the new defense under Vic Fangio at a new position faster than he thought he would. He made the initial 53-man roster out of camp, but NFL sources told The Inquirer at the time that the Eagles had been trying to trade him and had still aspired to move him after he made the team.

Bradberry carries a cap hit of just $4.3 million this season (1.66% of the cap), but the Eagles owe him about $11 million in 2024. If the Eagles want to keep Bradberry after he recovers from his injury to get something from their investment if they can’t trade him, his exact role would be unclear.

The Eagles have a pair of starting safeties in Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Sydney Brown, who tore his ACL in the 2023 regular-season finale, is nearing a return from the physically unable to perform list. Tristin McCollum is on the active roster as a depth safety. Avonte Maddox, who lost his starting nickel cornerback role to Cooper DeJean last week, also has experience at the position.

“Honestly, I’m not too sure,” Bradberry said of his prospective role. “So I try not to think about it.”

Regardless, Bradberry said he’s still trying to be a supportive teammate off the field. He likened his current role to that of a “player-coach” as he serves as a mentor to the young defensive backs. The group helps Bradberry keep his “head in the game” while watching film. Any time he sees something for them to correct in their technique, he gives them pointers.

“Most of the guys that I was around when I was young, they were willing to help me out and willing to share advice,” Bradberry said. “So I try to do the same thing, ’cause that’s the nature of the game. It’s a young man’s sport, and you want to pass that knowledge forward so that they can play well, and that, hopefully, they can get to their second contract and then they can pass it on down to the next generation.”

The experience reminds him a bit of fatherhood. Bradberry is spending more time nowadays with his 4-year-old daughter, Xena. She’s already learning jiu-jitsu and practices her technique at home on her punching bag — and also on her dad.

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“She kicked me the other day,” Bradberry said. “I told her she can’t be going around kicking people.”

No, that’s not too far removed from coaching up a rookie, according to Bradberry.

“With a child, you’ve got to kind of guide them in the right direction,” Bradberry said. “Of course, they’re going to always have questions and whatnot. It’s almost like you’re teaching a younger rookie or a second-year guy how to go about the job, what they need to do, what they don’t need to do, what they need to watch out for.

“It’s kind of teaching you how to be a leader in certain aspects.”

The Eagles play in Week 7 against the New York Giants. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from MetLife Stadium.