The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2023 offseason with numerous needs on both sides of the ball. Free agency is one avenue for them to address them, including at the cornerback position — where the Ravens will surely be in the market for new talent.
Let’s take a look at one free agent the Ravens could potentially target — James Bradberry from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Age: 29 years old
Experience: 7 seasons
2022 stats: (17 games) 44 total tackles, 17 passes defended, three interceptions
Spotrac Value: 3 years, $45.4 million ($15.1 million annual average)
After a two-year stint with the New York Giants, veteran cornerback James Bradberry stayed in the NFC East last season by signing a one-year deal with the Eagles. It proved to be a good decision, as Bradberry bounced back with one of the better seasons of his career.
The former Carolina Panther slotted in alongside Darius Slay in Philadelphia’s secondary and played a key role in the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. Bradberry, who will turn 30 years old in August, is now hitting free agency as one of the top available players at the position.
Bradberry appeared in and started all 17 games in 2022 and played over 1,000 defensive snaps for the fourth straight season. He racked up 44 combined tackles with 17 pass breakups and three interceptions, which he returned for a total of 54 yards. He finished with a PFF grade of 74.1, too.
The 2016 second-round pick was targeted 86 times on the year and allowed 39 completions, good for a completion percentage of just 45.3%. That was the lowest mark since his rookie season, while his passer rating when targeted (51.6) was easily a career-best figure.
How good was James Bradberry last season?
Bradberry’s coverage numbers (minimum 75 targets):
Completion rate — 44% (1st in #NFL)
Yards per attempt — 4.7 (1st)
Opposing QB rating — 44.5 (1st)#Eagles pic.twitter.com/D9YD4Wyb6S— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) March 11, 2023
Bradberry now has 17+ pass breakups in three straight seasons, as well as three or more interceptions in four consecutive years. For his performance in 2022, Bradberry earned a second-team All-Pro nod, which was the first of his career.
In theory, Bradberry profiles as a slightly younger version of Marcus Peters with less injury mileage on him. He’ll almost certainly command more money on the market. However, the Ravens have never been shy about signing veteran defensive players to big deals in free agency — especially in the secondary.
For what it’s worth also, the Ravens just recently hired Dennard Wilson as their new defensive backs coach. Wilson held the same position in Philadelphia this past season.