James Bradberry lands with Eagles after Giants release
The Giants went shopping for cornerback bargains on the same day the rival Philadelphia Eagles plucked James Bradberry off the top shelf.
As if cutting Bradberry to solve a salary-cap squeeze wasn’t painful enough for the Giants, their former Pro Bowl cornerback doubled down Wednesday by signing a one-year contract with Philadelphia. The deal is worth $7.5 million plus another $2.5 million in incentives after a market of 11 teams was whittled to three and then to one, according to ESPN.
Bradberry, 28, was due a $13.4 million salary before he was released last week. After a trade market failed to materialize, the Giants saved $10.1 million against the cap by moving on — that money is earmarked for signing their 11-pick draft class — and should get a $2 million cap credit in 2023 for the Eagles picking up the portion of Bradberry’s salary that became guaranteed in March.
The Giants revealed Wednesday a predictable strategy for replacing Bradberry by signing former Baltimore Ravens cornerbacks Maurice Canady and Khalil Dorsey. The hunt is on for cheap veterans who have the advantage of familiarity within coordinator Wink Martindale’s scheme.
Canady, 27, has one interception in 40 games (four starts) during an injury-plagued six-year career. Originally drafted in the sixth round by the Ravens, Canady was in rookie minicamp (veteran tryout) with the Chicago Bears earlier this month.
Canady has played just eight games since finishing the 2019 season with the Jets and becoming a free agent. He exercised his right to opt out of 2020 due to COVID-19 and spent the bulk of the second half of last season on the Cowboys’ injured reserve (concussion).
Dorsey, 24, played six games with a bigger role on special teams than defense for the Ravens as an undrafted rookie in 2020 before a season-ending shoulder injury. He reinjured the shoulder last August and missed the entire season.
The Giants are searching for cornerbacks with experience playing the boundary. Adoree’ Jackson will start on one side of the field and the Giants’ top three youngsters — Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson and rookie Cor’Dale Flott — all are more experienced in the slot. Robinson is expected to move to the perimeter.
But it will take a committee to replace Bradberry, even if he wasn’t an ideal fit for Martindale’s press man-to-man coverage scheme.
If Bradberry harbors any ill will toward the Giants for acting in their own best interest and dragging out his inevitable release until after the draft — when many depth charts are overstuffed and free-agent money has dried up — he will have two revenge games next season. He also gets a chance to prove that last season’s regression in performance was a one-off and return to free agency before turning 30 years old.
The Jets — before drafting Sauce Gardner with the No. 4-overall pick — and Texans were among the teams that expressed interest in trading for Bradberry if he was willing to restructure his contract, according to The Athletic.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen lamented that Bradberry and suitors couldn’t agree to contract terms, but the six-year veteran clearly prioritized a chance at a playoff run if he was going to take a pay cut. Bradberry looks like the missing piece to an elite defense with the Eagles.
The Giants also signed defensive end Jalyn Holmes and safety Henry Black. Holmes, a 2018 fourth-round pick who has one sack in 33 career games, will reunite with his former Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach Andre Patterson. Black went undrafted in 2020 but played in 25 games for the Green Bay Packers.
To make room on the 90-man roster, the Giants released linebacker Trent Harris, quarterback Brian Lewerke, defensive end Raymond Johnson III and defensive back Jordan Mosley (waived/injured).
Harris made two starts over two seasons with the Giants, Lewerke was on the practice squad last season and was the only quarterback in rookie minicamp last weekend, and Johnson played in 15 games last season after making the roster as an undrafted rookie.