The Philadelphia Eagles experienced a dreadful collapse late in 2023, and their defense was particularly disappointing.
Philadelphia finished the season ranked just 31st in passing yards allowed, 26th in total defense and 30th in points allowed.
While the Eagles responded by hiring Vic Fangio as their new defensive coordinator, an influx of defensive talent is needed.
With $39.7 million in projected cap space, general manager Howie Roseman will have some flexibility in free agency.
However, it would be beneficial for him to create more cap space, ideally, while moving on from a couple of the team’s more underwhelming contributors.
In a vacuum, cornerbacks James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox would be logical trade candidates.
Bradberry regressed significantly in 2023, while Maddox missed the bulk of the season with a torn Pectoral.
However, trading one or both of the cornerbacks could prove difficult, and the return isn’t likely to be great. Here, we’ll examine exactly how hypothetical trade packages for Bradberry and Maddox could look.
After having a strong 2022 campaign, Bradberry was a weak link in 2023. He allowed an opposing passer rating of 114.3 in coverage and was equally disappointing in run support.
The problem is that Bradberry’s contract makes him nearly impossible to dump this offseason—which Roseman all but admitted at the scouting combine.
“Yeah, he’s under contract, part of our plan,” Roseman told reporters.
Here’s the issue. Bradberry has $17.2 million in dead money remaining on his contract. Cutting him before March 13 would cost the Eagles an additional $12.4 million in cap space, while trading him would cost $11.1 million.
Trading him between March 13 and June 1 would cost $20.8 million in cap space, while trading him after June 1 would cost $8.3 million.
There simply isn’t a reasonable path to trading Bradberry unless he restructures his contract—which he has little reason to do—or the Eagles can convince a team to absorb some of the dead money on his deal.
The latter route is unconventional but not unprecedented.
Famously in 2017, the Cleveland Browns took on Brock Osweiler’s contract along with a 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 seventh-rounder while giving up a fourth-round pick.
The Houston Texans essentially paid to dump Oweiler’s deal in an NBA-style maneuver.
The Eagles could, hypothetically, take a similar approach, though finding a trade partner wouldn’t be easy.
The Arizona Cardinals should be Roseman’s first call.
