When the New York Giants released cornerback James Bradberry as a cap casualty, the Washington Commanders emerged as the immediate favorites to sign him. Bradberry’s connection to current Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was obvious, stemming from their days together with the Carolina Panthers.
Rivera arrived in Washington in January 2020 with nearly full control over the roster. In his three offseasons with the Commanders, he has brought in a great deal of former Panthers players, coaches, and front office personnel.
Just this offseason Washington signed four former Panthers players, offensive guards Andrew Nowell and Trai Turner as well as defensive end Efe Obada and kick returner/wide receiver Alex Erickson.
Social media has trolled the Commanders-Panthers connections with the nickname “Commanthers.”
For all the Commanthers players Rivera has signed, for whatever reason, he didn’t haul in arguably the best available. Instead, James Bradberry is headed to NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal worth up to $10 million according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Washington has a need at cornerback to play opposite of last year’s top free agent acquisition William Jackson III. Adding a capable outside cornerback would allow Kendall Fuller to slide into his more comfortable role at slot nickel.
When Bradberry was last a free agent in 2020, he expressed his desire to play for Rivera once again.
It begs the question: what are the Commanders doing? Sure, acquiring quarterback Carson Wentz along with his $28.2 million cap hit presented a major hurdle to bring in a huge free agent catch. However, it’s difficult to accept letting Bradberry walk to a rival, particularly since Rivera’s history in Washington to gobble up as many Commanthers players as possible.
Now, the Commanders will have to watch on the opposite sideline as Bradberry pairs up with four-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay at cornerback for the Eagles. The Commanders and Eagles play each other in Week 3 and 10.
The Eagles have had an impressive offseason, acquiring wide receiver A.J. Brown and edge rusher Hasson Reddick. Not to mention a strong draft that features Georgia’s defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean.
Washington fans once preached “In Ron We Trust” when Rivera became the head coach. But through two seasons, he’s compiled a 14-19 record. Yes, that includes an NFC East division title, but with a losing 7-9 record.
Rivera is entering a pivotal third season in Washington. Some may call it a make-or-break year. This offseason has been an interesting one, but without the big splash aside from an embattled Wentz.
Rivera was served a softball to make a splash signing Bradberry. It didn’t happen. What makes the miss worse is Bradberry is an Eagle. Missing out stamps that the Commanders 2022 season rests largely, if not solely, on Wentz’s shoulders.
