Eagles CB James Bradberry aiming to beat former team in Divisional Round game: ‘I think it’s ironic’
The Giants cut veteran corner James Bradberry in the offseason, for football and financial reasons. He signed with the Eagles. He stood out as a second-team Associated Press All-Pro in his first season in South Philly.
And now he’s aiming to beat his former Giants team a third time.
“I think it’s ironic,” Bradberry said Wednesday. “It would definitely be pretty sweet, first of all because we [would be] going on to the next round. It’s kind of like back in little league, when you’re playing a team across the city and you’ve got some friends over there.”
Eagles corner Darius Slay had galvanized the team prior to their first meeting with the Giants in Week 14, telling them it was personal for Bradberry so it should be personal for all of them. They responded with a 48-22 blowout win in East Rutherford, N.J.
Afterwards, Slay poured on the shade.
“It felt good definitely to whoop that ass here for my boy JB,” Slay said that night at MetLife Stadium. “It’s real big for me to whoop that ass here. We whopped that ass pretty good for JB. Every time I saw somebody, whoever called JB and told him he was cut, I saw that face on the Giants helmet and I was just trying to whoop that ass.”
Slay and Bradberry make up one of the NFL’s top corner tandems in 2022. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said that’s because “those guys are high football character guys who want to be coached and do things the right way. That’s why you see them playing at a high level, because they continually improve.”
Bradberry isn’t running from wanting to beat his former team. But he said ultimately, he just wants to win and advance to get one step closer to a Super Bowl.
“Of course it’s my old team,” he said. “I know some guys over there. It’s probably a cool story. But at this point it’s win or go home, so I’m trying to win.”
OJULARI QUESTIONABLE
Giants edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (quad) is listed as questionable and was moving gingerly at the start of Thursday’s practice. He is the only Giants player with an injury status. Corner Fabian Moreau (hip) remained limited and had a chance to receive a designation, head coach Brian Daboll said Thursday morning, but he came out OK and is good to go.
With Ojulari questionable, it would make sense if the Giants elevated Quincy Roche from the practice squad just in case. GM Joe Schoen and Daboll awarded game checks last week to healthy scratch practice call-ups Kalil Pimpleton and Jashaun Corbin. So they could do the same for Roche and another player, maybe wide receiver David Sills, with the bonus of having Roche available if Ojulari can’t go.
The other Giants who remained limited in practice but are good to go are LB Landon Collins (ankle), WR Isaiah Hodgins (ankle) and S Julian Love (hamstring).
EAGLES MISSING MADDOX
Philly slot corner Avonte Maddox (toe) won’t play, but he’s the only Eagles player ruled out. Right tackle Lane Johnson (groin) was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday and came off the final injury report entirely. Defensive end Brandon Graham (illness/resting) didn’t participate for a second straight day, but he’ll play.
