James Bradberry fighting for roster spot at Eagles training camp after converting to safety
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The toughest part of James Bradberry moving from cornerback to safety is not what one would expect.
Learning a new position at the highest level is difficult enough, especially when there are different responsibilities from cornerback to safety.
"I think the difficulty for a corner, because as a corner on the outside, you're not required to talk a whole lot and you're not required to learn every other position," Bradberry said. "At safety you have to learn mainly the inside guys, their pieces as far as the blitzes and stuff because you have to make sure the safety rolls."
"You always have to have somebody in the post when you're blitzing somebody. You have to know who's blitzing because then you have to cover for him, roll down and replace," Bradberry added. "So, usually the information part, learning, the communication part, and, of course, there's more tackling because you're going to be in the box a lot more."
Bradberry's transition to safety is going smoothly. He's re-learning a position he excelled at in high school — he was initially recruited as a safety.
The former All-Pro cornerback has been getting reps on the second team of late, behind starters C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship. Avonte Maddox is also getting those second-team reps at safety, the best seat in the house for Bradberry's progression.
"JB's always talking," Maddox said with a laugh. "Even when he was at corner, he was talking 24/7."
Blankenship is ahead of Bradberry on the depth chart but isn't surprised by how well the transition is going. Nine years in the NFL don't come by accident.
"At the end of the day, he's an athlete," Blankenship said. "Oddly he fits well at safety or corner, wherever they put him. He's a smart, athletic guy. When I came here in '22, he was one of those dudes that took me under his wing and he taught me the way."
"Now he's back there with me and we're kind of working off each other and he'll ask me questions now and I'm like, oh wow," Blankenship added. "It's flipped. At the end of the day, I love JB and I love what he brings to the table."
Bradberry is competing for a spot in an organization that is unsure if it wants him on the final 53-man roster. The Eagles won't just let Bradberry go; they hope to get trade compensation for him if the right package comes along.
If Bradberry keeps getting reps and showcasing the skills that made him an All-Pro, the Eagles are going to have a tough decision to make on Aug. 27.
"Right now, I'm still on the team and while I'm still on the team, I'm going to try to find my role," Bradberry said. "If they want to get rid of me, they're going to get rid of me."
