Bengals would be fools not to target James Bradberry
Despite their additions to the secondary in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals should try to find a way to sign James Bradberry. The Giants cut Bradberry on Monday, per Dan Duggan, and now he’s free to sign with whoever he wants. The Bengals need to throw their hat into the ring.
Bradberry, a second-round pick by the Panthers in 2016, spent four years in Carolina and the past two years with the Giants. Despite getting cut by the G-Men, make no mistake, Bradberry is still worth adding.
It’s not every day that a cornerback with Bradberry’s abilities becomes available at this point in the offseason. That’s one of the many reasons Cincinnati should go in for his services.
The Giants are releasing CB James Bradberry after failing to find a trade partner, per source. The move will create $10.1M in cap savings while leaving $11.7M in dead money.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) May 9, 2022
(Savings will be $11.5M with $10.4M dead this year and $1.4M dead in 2023 if they make it a June 1 cut)
James Bradberry needs to be on Bengals’ radar if he’s not already
While the stripes did their due diligence in the secondary during the draft, Bradberry would only make the unit better. Instead of hoping Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt can slide in and immediately be game-changers, Bradberry could be more of a sure thing.
Bradberry appeared in all 17 games last year while tallying 47 tackles, 17 defended passes, and four interceptions. His PFF grade for the 2021 season was 62.8, which isn’t mesmerizing but it’s respectable.
For a team like the Bengals that clearly proved in the draft they’re looking to get stronger in the secondary, why not try and add Bradberry? He’ll have a fair share of suitors for sure, but Cincinnati could check a lot of boxes for him.
First and foremost, he’d be an immediate starter with them. Secondly, they’re a good team, as showcased by their surprise Super Bowl appearance just three months ago.
Lastly, they could probably afford to pay him what he’s going to want but it’ll be close. That’ll be what the Bengals front office will have to ask themselves, though — Is James Bradberry worth a big contract? Is he worth it when Jessie Bates is still waiting for an extension?
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If Bradberry is interested in coming to the Queen City, the Bengals should definitely try to do whatever it takes to make him the newest member of the stripes.