PHILADELPHIA -- James Bradberry was recruited out of high school to play safety. He feels he's smart enough to learn the ins-and-outs of the role at the highest level.
Bradberry had a choice in the matter whether he wanted to move to safety. He was the one that brought it up to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
"Why not?" Bradberry said with a straight face. "I just wanted to try it out."
Bradberry moving to safety wasn't a last-ditch effort for the Eagles to keep him in this game of chicken regarding his future. The move was on his own volition, an opportunity to showcase to a franchise he still has value.
"I try to be adaptable. I'm on the team right now, so while I'm on the team I want to find a role on this team, and I feel like if I'm a versatile player then I'm going to have a role," Bradberry said. "Of course I want to start. Now, where I'm going to start? I don't know, but I'm working right now at safety to see if I can learn it and play that and be a valuable asset to the team right there.
"Of course we already have two starters and we also drafted a guy in the first round and Isaiah Rodgers is really good, so I'm just trying to find my role right now."
Of course, that future is uncertain regarding Bradberry. He still has two years remaining on a three-year, $38 million contract he signed last season, with this year still having a guaranteed salary. The Eagles would have to eat $4.035 million by releasing Bradberry without saving any cap space.
Why not keep Bradberry around for six more weeks and see if there is a spot for him on this team? Cornerback is crowded with Darius Slay, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, and Quinyon Mitchell on the outside. There's an opening to play more at safety with Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson as the starters, but Sydney Brown is on the PUP list (knee) and Cooper DeJean is on the NFI list (hamstring).
There's not much depth at safety. Bradberry could play his way into a pivotal role.
"Right now, my thought process was just try to be a valuable piece to the team, and I feel like picking up safety and learning new roles." Bradberry said. "Also last season I was playing a little down, so I was already playing inside a little bit.
"Safeties do that. They play down from time to time. I was also playing nickel, so I was like why not?...Now, I'm learning safety and those guys are getting a lot more reps. If the time comes and I'm still on the team and they want me to play corner, I'm going to be ready."
Bradberry saw the writing on the wall at cornerback. After giving up nine passing touchdowns last year, Bradberry assumed the Eagles were going to address the position. Ringo has a promising finish to his rookie season and Rodgers -- as Bradberry stated -- was going to make the team. Bradberry's assumptions were correct with the draft, as the Eagles used their first two draft picks on Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
There was no more room at the inn at a position Bradberry was an All-Pro at just two seasons ago. Bradberry wanted to make a change in an attempt not just to salvage his career in Philadelphia, but in the NFL.
He isn't going down without a fight.
"I'm on the team right now," Bradberry said. "I'm taking it day by day because in the NFL you never know. I could be traded, I could not be traded. I'm preparing for anything.
"Right now I'm still on the team and while I'm still on the team, I'm going to try to find my role. If they want to get rid of me, they're going to get rid of me."
