Eagles bringing back James Bradberry, adding a top RB; what that means for Miles Sanders

The Eagles are bringing back a core member of their secondary as they're reportedly re-signing free agent cornerback James Bradberry to a three-year contract.

ESPN first reported the news of Bradberry, 29, signing the deal for as much as $38 million. Bradberry had three interceptions last season, as he and fellow cornerback Darius Slay formed a top tandem.

Slay, meanwhile, who's 32, was granted permission to seek a trade last week. He's entering the final year of his contract that will count $26 million on the Eagles' salary cap barring an extension, a risky proposition for a cornerback at Slay's age.

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That made Bradberry's return all the more important.

Bradberry's signing came one day after the Eagles lost three defensive starters to free agency in defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers (4 years, $84 million), linebacker T.J. Edwards to the Chicago Bears (3 years, $19.5 million) and safety Marcus Epps to the Las Vegas Raiders (2 years, $12 million).

But the Eagles rebounded Tuesday in a figurative way by retaining Bradberry. The Eagles also reportedly signed running back Rashaad Penny from the Seattle Seahawks while keeping another running back in Boston Scott.

They did lose linebacker Kyzir White to the Arizona Cardinals, however.

Penny's signing will likely mean the end of Miles Sanders' tenure in Philadelphia. Sanders, who rushed for 1,269 yards last season, tweeted a farewell to Eagles fans shortly after the news of Penny's signing.

"To the city of Philadelphia Thank You from the bottom of my heart," Sanders wrote with a heart-shaped emoji.

Penny, Seattle's first-round pick in 2017, has had an injury-plagued career. He hasn't played in more than 10 games in any season since that rookie season. Last season, Penny played in only 5 games before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

But he rushed for 346 yards on 57 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. For his career, Penny has averaged 5.7 yards per carry.

As for Bradberry, he played last season on a one-year, prove-it type deal worth $10 million after the Giants released him last May, long after many teams had already used up their salary cap space.

Bradberry admitted after the season that he wasn't going to sign a discounted deal this offseason. But Bradberry told CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson last weekend that the Eagles asked him to give them a chance to match another team's offer.

"I think my stats show that I should be a top-dollar guy," Bradberry said two days after the Super Bowl. "But I know there are a whole bunch of variables that go into that. We’ll see.

"I think I deserve top dollar. Just a matter of who’s out there willing to pay it at the end of the day."

It turns out the Eagles were.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles re-sign James Bradberry, add Rashaad Penny; Miles Sanders reacts