Eagles

James Bradberry will Reportedly Start at Nickel Corner in Tampa

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Sep 25th, 2023 · 1:27 PM EDT

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A report:

Sources: The #Eagles will start All-Pro CB James Bradberry at nickel tonight vs the #Buccaneers.

Expect to see Bradberry frequently matched up with Tampa’s dynamic slot receiver Chris Godwin.

Philly lost its starting slot corner Avonte Maddox Week 2 with a torn pec. pic.twitter.com/WOLZobHVL9

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 25, 2023

Hmm. Dunno about this. Bradberry is a borderline All-Pro on the outside. You gotta ask yourself if the net gain of moving him in inside is greater than the net loss of replacing him on the outside (likely with Josh Jobe). You do, of course, have Godwin and Mike Evans to address in Tampa, so moving Bradberry inside might make more sense as a one-off/specific matchup kind of thing, assuming Slay is glued to Evans and follows him all over the field.

Bradberry did play some nickel in camp, and he’s more than capable here, so there’s not much concern about what he can do in the slot. You just wonder how much drop off you’re gonna get at the spot opposite Slay. You’re asking yourself here if you trust Jobe on the outside more than you trust Mario Goodrich in the slot. Tough choices when you lose both Avonte Maddox and Zech McPhearson before Week 3.