Eagles' James Bradberry reflects on his season spent on IR that ended with a Super Bowl ring
Published in Football
PHILADELPHIA — James Bradberry stood on top of the seat in Tanner McKee’s stall on the outskirts of the New Orleans Saints’ locker room after the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win. He recorded his teammates’ jubilation in front of him with his phone in one hand and a beverage and a cigar in the other.
The 31-year-old defensive back was in the background of the festivities, but he still was a part of the team’s celebration. He had a similar role on the Eagles throughout the entire year — in the background, yet still present.
Bradberry has been on injured reserve since the start of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon and soleus muscle, according to The Athletic. Even though he never played a snap in 2024, Bradberry said Thursday that he feels like a Super Bowl champion.
“I’m going to get a ring, and I can always say I’m a Super Bowl champion,” Bradberry said. “So I’m a part of it.”
Bradberry called it a “different” year. Entering his ninth NFL season, he embarked upon a transition from outside cornerback to safety after the team selected a pair of young cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of the draft.
He made the initial 53-man roster out of training camp as a safety. But before he could suit up for a regular-season game, Bradberry went down with the injury in practice one day after the Aug. 27 roster cutdown deadline. As he progressed through his rehabilitation, he remained part of the defensive backs room as a veteran presence among a young group.
“I think they picked [my brain] a little bit here and there,” Bradberry said. “But they did a good job listening to the coaches and whatnot. So they didn’t really need me much, to be honest with you. But I was here whenever they had a question, whether that was something that happened on the field or off the field.”
Even as his health improved, he remained on injured reserve. He said he was “here whenever the team needed me” and took the situation in stride.
“At the end of the day, this is a business,” Bradberry said. “And you’ve got to treat it like a business. I put my business hat on.”
Soon enough, he will put a Super Bowl ring on, too. Two years after his controversial holding call in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Bradberry watched his teammates earn the title against the same opponent.
Still, Bradberry said he didn’t find any extra satisfaction in the demise of the Chiefs, whose players took online jabs at Bradberry in the aftermath of their Super Bowl victory in February 2023.
“I think it was just ultimately satisfying just to get a Super Bowl ring at the end of the day,” Bradberry said. “It was cool to beat the Chiefs. They’re one of the better teams in the league. And fortunately, we were the best team in the league this year.
The year away from the football field also gave Bradberry the opportunity to reflect on his NFL career. Before hitting a plateau last season and struggling down the stretch, Bradberry was a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 with the Giants and a second-team All-Pro player in 2022 whose dominant performance helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl that season.
Even though the circumstances were different for Bradberry in 2024, he still expressed a sense of gratitude for his career thus far.
“I was going into my ninth season and you realize, look around the locker room, seeing all the young guys come in, that I’ve been around for quite a bit,” Bradberry said. “So, one, you had to cherish that. The amount of time and the amount of stuff you’ve been able to accomplish. And, two, it just gave me a little hunger to get back out there and try to prove myself again.”
Bradberry called his future an “unknown situation.” He is still under contract with the Eagles for one more year, but Howie Roseman could move on from him this offseason with minimal penalty against the salary cap. Bradberry said that he is eager to get back on the field and showcase what he can do, whether he’s playing safety or cornerback.
He expressed an understanding that his next opportunity on the football field could be in a different uniform. After three years with the Eagles, Bradberry said he will always cherish the moments he experienced in Philadelphia, whether they were positive or negative.
“I’m glad I got to experience, one, I would say, the Philadelphia Eagles fan base,” Bradberry said. “Greatest fan base in the world. I’m glad I got to experience the highs and the lows of being a part of the Philadelphia Eagles.
“And I’m just thankful that it ended with a Super Bowl ring.”
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