Nigel Bradham rumors: Top 3 landing spots
Nigel Bradham has been the Eagles’ top tackler for the past two years and is reliable in coverage. Now his value is on the rise as he heads to free agency.
Linebacker Nigel Bradham turned out to be a valuable signing for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016. The reliable defender, who has started in every game he played dating back to 2014 when he was with the Buffalo Bills, was the Eagles’ leading tackler last season with 88 combined and was also impressive in coverage, totaling eight passes defensed.
But Bradham’s days of being a bargain are over; after making $7 million over the last two years, Spotrac.com has estimated his per-year value at $5.9 million, a price too rich for the Eagles’ blood. The MMQB’s Peter King reported Monday that Bradham is not expected back in Philadelphia, but the 28-year old should have no trouble landing on another team’s roster. Here are three teams that could be interested.
Best fits
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Bradham was an outside linebacker in the Eagles’ primarily 4-3 base defense, while the Pittsburgh Steelers mostly operate out of the 3-4. But with sub-packages taking over, those distinctions have increasingly blurred. And beyond that, Bradham’s particular skill set makes him a candidate for the Steelers in free agency.
Pro Football Focus’ Cam Mellor tagged Bradham as his “dream splash signing” for Pittsburgh, and for good reason: His coverage skills and overall positional malleability. Mellor noted that “Bradham logged at least 44 snaps at seven different alignments,” but most importantly for the Steelers, “Bradham allowed a reception once every 13.6 snaps he spent in coverage, the best mark among 32 4-3 outside linebackers with at least 145 snaps in coverage.”
Factoring in his ability to stop the run and Bradham be a valuable veteran presence as an interior Pittsburgh linebacker to replace the injured Ryan Shazier, who was known for his coverage skills and run-stopping and who is not going to play in 2018.
2. New England Patriots
Pass coverage was an issue for the New England Patriots throughout 2017. Their defense ranked 30th in passing yards allowed during the regular season and even further placed in relief in their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. But coverage duties belong to more than just cornerbacks and safeties; linebackers are also needed to defend passes, and Bradham would be a plug-and-play answer for the Patriots on a rotational basis.
But Bradham is more than a rotational player. He can also stop the run, with PFF’s Mellor also noting that Bradham had the “14th-highest run-stop percentage among 4-3 OLBs” last year. New England struggled in run-stopping, ranking 20th in rush yards allowed. The Patriots need to upgrade their defense, and doing so with a veteran like Bradham makes sense.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Though King is pessimistic about Bradham’s chances of getting a new deal from the Eagles, it still cannot be entirely ruled out. The Eagles have already made one surprising move, trading for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett in early March. And with the belief being that the Eagles are deciding between keeping Bradham or Mychal Kendricks, the former could ultimately win out.
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Kendricks was a backup in 2017 until Jordan Hicks suffered a torn Achilles tendon, while Bradham has been a reliable starter for Philadelphia during the past two years. But, as Andrew Kulp of NBC Sports points out, Hicks’ recovery could be a deciding factor on what the Eagles do with either player. If Hicks is presumed to be ready for 2018, the Eagles could be better off keeping Bradham.
The price may not be an issue either; Kendricks has a $7.6 million cap hit this year, but will cost only $3.2 million to release. That would free up enough money to give Bradham a market-value deal while being able to retain a key member of a defense that quickly rose to the cream of the NFL crop in 2017.