James Bradberry

CB Notes: Bills, Bradberry, Giants, Gardner, Texans, Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Ward

April 20th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Losing Levi Wallace in free agency, the Bills have a cornerback need a week away from the draft. The two-time defending AFC East champions will be linked to corners early, but they are still looking into the veteran market. Brandon Beane confirmed the team has spoken with free agent corners, via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter). While Stephon Gilmore is now off the board, several other accomplished vets remain available. The player Gilmore is set to replace in Indianapolis, Xavier Rhodes, is a free agent. So is Joe Haden, whom the Steelers appear to have replaced with Wallace. Buffalo has Taron Johnson as its slot cornerback, so boundary players would seemingly be the focus on the veteran front. Jackrabbit Jenkins‘ Titans contract expired, and Trae Waynes and Kyle Fuller loom as potential bounce-back candidates. Richard Sherman is set to turn 34 this year, but he has a career’s worth of high-end zone production.

Here is the latest from the cornerback scene:

Lovie Smith indicated his team needs cornerback help, and it might even come at No. 3 overall. Several teams believe Ahmad Gardner could be the Texans‘ choice at 3, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tweets. Houston has also done extensive work on LSU’s Derek Stingley. Given where they are in the rebuilding process, the Texans make sense as a true best-player-available team. That would seemingly point to a tackle choice — be it Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu — but corner buzz has followed this team for a bit now.
Stingley played just 10 games between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, seeing injuries slow his momentum after a dominant freshman season. But the LSU product is creeping into the top-10 picture, with ESPN.com’s Matt Miller noting Stingley and Gardner are looking likely to each be top-10 selections (Twitter link). The 6-foot defender, per one evaluator who spoke to NBC Sports’ Peter King, has “the best feet of any corner I’ve ever seen.” Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent ESPN.com mock draft has Gardner going fourth to the Jets and Stingley going 12th to the Vikings. The Jaguars and Jets hosted Stingley on visits this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The Washington Huskies could see two corners go in the first round. With Trent McDuffie positioning himself as the draft’s third-best corner, Miller adds a few teams do not expect Kyler Gordon to reach Day 2 of the draft (Twitter link). ESPN ranks Gordon 31st overall, though Todd McShay has him going 42nd in he and Kiper’s latest mock. The 5-foot-11 defender played four seasons at Washington, but only two (2019 and ’21) involved more than three games.
New Giants GM Joe Schoen said a scenario exists where the Giants retain James Bradberry, via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (on Twitter). Entering the final year of his contract, Bradberry has long expected to be dealt. The Giants have discussed their No. 1 corner with teams, and while they have said an extension for the Dave Gettleman-era signee is possible, Bradberry’s $21.9MM cap number sits second on Big Blue’s payroll. The Giants ($6MM-plus in cap space) would save more than $11MM by designating Bradberry as a post-June 1 cut, if no team offers a draft pick to take on the veteran cover man’s $13.4MM base salary.
Denzel Ward‘s five-year, $100.5MM Browns extension includes $44.5MM fully guaranteed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. That figure also leads all corners. In addition to his signing bonus, the Browns fully guaranteed Ward’s 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1MM, $4MM, respectively). Ward’s 2024 base ($15.3MM) shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. That same structure is present for 2025, with that base salary ($13.5MM) already being guaranteed for injury. It becomes fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2024 league year.

Giants Could Extend CB James Bradberry

March 31st, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Throughout the offseason, it has sounded like the Giants and James Bradberry were heading toward a divorce. However, if the Giants are unable to find a trade partner, they could reverse course and extended their star cornerback instead. Per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, GM Joe Schoen has expressed a willingness to extend Bradberry “as a last resort.”

Why a last resort? The Giants aren’t trading Bradberry because of reduced play or anything. Rather, the cornerback is set to count for $21.8MM against the cap, and the Giants could save $12.1MM in space by trading the player. The pricey cap hit is the Giants’ primary motivation for exploring a trade, but it sounds like Schoen will clear up some cap space one way or the other.

An extension would decrease Bradberry’s cap hit in 2022…but it would dig into future space, something Schoen and the Giants front office has tried to avoid. The Giants continue to seek a third-round pick for the cornerback, and it will be interesting to see if a team is willing to bite on a trade as the draft approaches. The Chiefs were recently connected to Bradberry.

Despite a down year in 2021, Bradberry should still hold interest for cornerback-needy teams. He’s not too far removed from a Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, when he posted the lowest passer rating of any CB in the league, per PFF. This past season, the 28-year-old finished with 47 tackles and four interceptions.

Chiefs Interested In Trading For James Bradberry?

March 29th, 2022 at 12:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

After the plethora of cost-cutting moves the Giants have made in Joe Schoen‘s first year as general manager, the biggest question surrounding the team remains the future of cornerback James Bradberry. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs have emerged as an interested party trying to trade for him.

Wilson reports that there are “ongoing trade discussions” between New York and Kansas City. He is quick to add, though, that “varying degrees of confidence” exist on “if and when a deal is ultimately struck”, and that nothing is imminent at this time.

The news comes one day after Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported that the Giants were looking to have a trade consummated “before the end of the NFL draft”. He also named the Chiefs as a potential destination, along with the Colts and Texans. The Giants’ asking price had reportedly included a third-round pick, but that may no longer be the case.

Vacchiano states that the Giants “are willing to pick up some of Bradberry’s $13.4MM salary” to help facilitate a trade. Moving on from the 28-year-old – either through a trade or release – would save the Giants eight figures in cap space. Knowing that, most other teams are said to waiting to sign him as a free agent, rather than paying with draft compensation. The Chiefs, Wilson notes however, are “extremely interested” in trading for the Pro Bowler with a deal which could include “swapping picks in the middle rounds”.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll referred to Bradberry’s circumstances as “a fluid situation”. Depending on how trade negotiations go, that situation could have a resolution sooner rather than later.

Chiefs, Stephon Gilmore Discussing Deal

March 26th, 2022 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Stephon Gilmore‘s top two suitors look to be in the AFC West, a division that has seen a few impact defenders arrive over the past two weeks. While the Raiders are eyeing the former Defensive Player of the Year, the Chiefs are as well.

The Chiefs have joined the Raiders in discussing a deal with Gilmore, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. The Raiders were connected to Gilmore early in free agency and have ex-Patriot staffers Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels running the team, but the veteran cornerback has options.

Gilmore, 31, being patient is unsurprising here, given his quest to see a pay raise during the second half of his Patriots tenure. Gilmore voiced frustration about his Pats contract — a five-year, $65MM deal that became wildly team-friendly as the market moved — in 2020 and 2021, leading to a pay bump for the ’20 season and a trade to the Panthers the following year. Leading up to free agency, Carolina had not closed the door on a Gilmore re-signing. But the team prioritized Donte Jackson, who has since signed an extension.

A Gilmore-Kansas City addition would give the Chiefs additional ammo in an AFC West that has seen defenders Khalil Mack, Chandler Jones, Randy Gregory, D.J. Jones, Sebastian Joseph-Day and ex-Gilmore sidekick J.C. Jackson join the Chiefs’ rivals. The Chiefs lost Charvarius Ward to a $14MM-per-year 49ers deal and saw contributor Mike Hughes sign with the Lions. While Kansas City signed Justin Reid, it looks to come at the expense of a Tyrann Mathieu exit. The Chiefs still have L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton at corner, but the team is eyeing veterans.

A James Bradberry trade remains on the Chiefs’ radar, Wilson adds. The Giants are looking to move Bradberry, but he is going into a contract year on a $13.4MM salary. That has limited his trade appeal thus far. Kansas City has not spent much on cornerbacks in recent years, but its Tyreek Hill trade has freed up some cash. The defending division champs went to work immediately after dealing Hill, signing Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jermaine Carter over the past two days.

Chiefs Eyeing Veteran Cornerbacks

March 24th, 2022 at 9:30pm CST by Ben Levine

The Chiefs are on the lookout for a cornerback. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chiefs make a “move on a veteran corner in the coming weeks.” Specifically, Fowler has heard the Chiefs connected to free agent Stephon Gilmore and Giants cornerback James Bradberry, who could be released or traded.

Gilmore, 31, was traded midseason from New England to Carolina after a new deal with the Patriots couldn’t be worked out. In eight games in Charlotte, he registered two interceptions, helping him to a fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, the fifth of his career. Despite his impressive resume, the veteran still hasn’t found a home for next season. So far this offseason, Gilmore has only been definitively connected to the Raiders.

Many assumed that the Giants would trade or release the 28-year-old Bradberry before the new league year started last week. The veteran cornerback remains on the roster, but there’s still a chance the team moves on from him, as the Giants can realize more than $10MM in cap savings by cutting the defensive back. Despite a down year in 2021, Bradberry should still hold interest for cornerback-needy teams. He’s not too far removed from a Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, when he posted the lowest passer rating of any CB in the league, per PFF.

The Chiefs have already been active in reshuffling their secondary this offseason. The front office pivoted away from Tyrann Mathieu and replaced him with free agent safety Justin Reid.

NFC East Notes: Wentz, Luck, Gallup, Giants

March 22nd, 2022 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Before acquiring Carson Wentz, the Commanders scoured the league for their next passer. They made a three-first-rounder offer for Russell Wilson and pursued Aaron Rodgers. Those avenues closed quickly, leading Washington to Wentz. The team made a list of eight QBs it viewed as a satisfactory upgrade, with John Keim of ESPN.com noting this included Deshaun Watson. It is unclear if the team pursued Watson, but Texans GM Nick Caserio pointed out there were more interested teams than the four finalists. The Commanders’ search, which involved Ron Rivera participating in an lengthy QB-centered discussion with three-time Super Bowl champion HC Joe Gibbs, also included a consideration of Andrew Luck. That did not get off the ground, per Keim. Luck has been retired for three seasons now and has dropped some weight from his playing days. Wentz resided somewhere on the Commanders’ eight-man list, with his 6-foot-5 frame appealing to his new team. The Colts initially told the NFC East team he was not available, but that changed at the Combine and led to a deal.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

Given a five-year, $57.5MM Cowboys contract, Michael Gallup is coming off an ACL tear sustained in Week 17. The fifth-year receiver is unlikely to be ready by Week 1, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Dallas is obviously looking at Gallup’s long-term trajectory, having jettisoned Amari Cooper to keep his former sidekick at a lower rate. But the team may need to stash Gallup on the PUP list or make him an active-roster non-participant to start the season, depending on his timetable.
The Giants added multiple interior offensive linemen — Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano — last week but are still in need at right tackle. They sent key personnel to Mississippi State prospect Charles Cross‘ pro day Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and assistant O-line coach Tony Sparano Jr. were on-hand in Starkville, Miss., per NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt. Cross said the Giants and Jets have been the teams most interested thus far. Cross is viewed as this draft’s third-best tackle prospect, behind Alabama’s Evan Neal and North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu. The Giants hold two top-10 picks — Nos. 5 and 7 — and will not surprise anyone if they use one of them on an O-lineman.
James Bradberry and Saquon Barkley remain Giants, but Bradberry’s $21.9MM cap number jumps out on the team’s payroll. The Giants will probably have to jettison Bradberry, even if they would prefer to keep him, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes, due to their cap situation. Big Blue has discussed Barkley and Bradberry in trades, and while they may hang onto the latter until draft weekend, dumping the talented cornerback later in the offseason remains in play. Bradberry’s through-2022 deal already contains a void year, but the Giants would save $11.5MM by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. A trade before or after June 1 would free up more than $12MM in funds, though it remains to be seen how late of a draft pick the Giants would accept for their No. 1 corner.

Latest On Giants’ James Bradberry

March 17th, 2022 at 10:22am CST by Adam La Rose

New Giants general manager Joe Schoen made it clear at the start of the offseason that he intended to shed a significant amount of salary. While he has been able to do just that through a number of moves which were expected to be made, one of the biggest questions on the team centers on cornerback James Bradberry.

Many felt that the team would trade or release the 28-year-old before the new league year started Wednesday afternoon. Instead, as SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano reports, New York may now hold onto him until after the Draft at the end of April.

The team has been fielding trade calls on the former second rounder, which still means he could be moved at any point. As Vacchiano notes, however, his market hasn’t been strong up to this point, since teams are aware of the cap savings the Giants would generate (just over $10.1MM) if they released him. Bradberry is due $13.4MM in salary this season – $2MM of which became guaranteed when the new league year began – but carries a cap hit of over $21.8MM on his current contract.

Vacchiano notes that keeping Bradberry is still an option for the Giants. The 2020 Pro Bowler has only missed a pair games during his two-year tenure in the Big Apple, in which he has totalled seven interceptions and 35 pass breakups. As the most important piece to the teams’ secondary, he would therefore play a large role if new defensive coordinator Don Martindale‘s scheme is to be successfully implemented.

Nothing currently appears imminent on the Bradberry front, then, which may remain the case for at least another month or so.

Giants Discussing Saquon Barkley, James Bradberry Trades

March 14th, 2022 at 6:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both Saquon Barkley and James Bradberry have surfaced as trade candidates, though it is unclear how seriously the Giants are with those respective courses of action. It appears the team is fairly intent on moving at least one.

In pursing their goal of clearing $40MM-plus in cap space, the Giants have had discussions with multiple teams about trading Barkley and/or Bradberry, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports. However, the duo is not generating too much interest. A Day 3 choice may be the max value the Giants could net for either player, Vacchiano notes. That is unlikely to move the needle for the Giants on Barkley.

Bradberry was reported to have more value than Barkley, the latter’s reputation and dominant rookie season notwithstanding. But their current values may put the new Giants regime to key decisions. They are likely to move on from at least one of the duo, Vacchiano adds, due to cap constraints.

It would be rather strange to see Barkley unloaded, given his reduced trade value after three injury-plagued years. The former No. 2 overall pick carries just a $7.2MM cap number — down from $10MM in 2021 — on his fifth-year option. Both Barkley and Bradberry’s deals expire after the 2022 season. Leaguewide concern exists on Barkley’s health, per Vacchiano. A high ankle sprain, ACL and MCL tears and another ankle issue have felled Barkley over the past three years. The would-be superstar faces perhaps a make-or-break season in 2022.

A Bradberry swap would give the Giants $12.1MM in cap space. The ex-Panther cornerback signed a three-year, $45MM deal in 2020. Dropping Bradberry would also leave the Giants shorthanded at corner. No. 1 corners are certainly more difficult to replace than running backs.

It will be interesting to see where the Giants go here. They made multiple cuts but also reached pay-cut agreements to retain Blake Martinez and Sterling Shepard. As of Monday evening, Big Blue remains over the 2022 cap.

Giants’ James Bradberry Drawing Trade Interest

March 4th, 2022 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

James Bradberry is garnering trade interest around the league (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The high-priced cornerback was a favorite of GM Dave Gettleman, but the Giants’ new regime may be open to moving him.

The Giants signed Bradberry to a three-year, $45MM deal ($32MM guaranteed) in 2020. At the time, he was one of the top free agents on the market. Teams were high on him, even though the analytics weren’t quite as fond. Bradberry, a multi-year starter for the Panthers, was ranked as a middle-of-the-road defender by Pro Football Focus in his walk year.

Bradberry earned a Pro Bowl nod in his first Giants season but he didn’t play up to his contract in 2021. Now on the verge of his 29th birthday in August, the Giants may opt to trade him for draft capital while taking much of his $21.8MM cap hit off of the books. And, as Rapoport notes, a Bradberry deal seems much more likely that a trade of star running back Saquon Barkley.

Despite the down year, Bradberry should still hold interest for cornerback-needy teams. He’s not too far removed from that Pro Bowl 2020, when he posted the lowest passer rating of any CB in the league, per PFF.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Gregory, Fitzpatrick

October 28th, 2021 at 10:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Jabrill Peppers‘ torn ACL will keep him sidelined for the rest of the 2021 campaign, and considering his expiring contract, there’s a chance his stint with the Giants has effectively come to an end. However, head coach Joe Judge kept the door open when speaking with reporters on Wednesday.

“Look, this guy is in a contract year, it’s something I’ve talked to him about directly,” Judge said (h/t to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “He’s a guy that I value a lot in this program. I’d love to have this guy going forward, I’ve told him that directly. He’s been a very good leader for us. You can talk about him being local, that the Giants mean something to him. I think that’s very important. He’s a guy that loves football, he loves this organization, he loves this area. Those are things we talk about building as cornerstones and pillars of this program and he’s a very important part of our program.”

The safety started five of his six games this season, compiling 29 tackles and one sack. Considering Peppers’ contract status, his reduced playing time, and continued trade rumblings, there was a chance the veteran would be traded prior to his injury. The ACL injury certainly changed things, and Peppers could pursue a comeback with his current team.

More notes out of the NFC East…

With the Giants sitting at 2-5, it wouldn’t be a surprise if several Giants veterans end up hitting the trade block. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv explored which players could be on the move, with tight end Evan Engram, cornerback James Bradberry, guard Will Hernandez, tight end Kyle Rudolph, and offensive tackle Nate Solder earning spots on the list. Vacchiano even goes as far as to list running back Saquon Barkley as a potential trade candidate, but he can’t envision the Giants receiving a haul that would convince them to bail on the former second-overall pick.
Randy Gregory has dealt with his fair share of suspensions, but the former Cowboys second-round pick followed an impressive 2020 campaign with an even better start to the 2021 season. In five games (four starts), Gregory has collected four sacks. The 28-year-old will hit free agency following the 2021 season, but David Moore, Calvin Watkins, and Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News all believe that the defensive end will be back next season. Moore notes that the team wouldn’t have held on to Gregory for all these years if they didn’t plan on a long-term pact, while Watkins cautions that the franchise tag could prove to be a risky move considering Gregory’s limited track record.
There was once some hope that Ryan Fitzpatrick would be back by now, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport writes that Washington Football Team will have to wait a bit longer. The 38-year-old is still weeks away from returning, with Week 10 being the earliest possible return for the starting quarterback. Fitzpatrick suffered a hip subluxation back in September, forcing Taylor Heinicke into the lineup.

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