January 02, 2017
During the 2016 offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles added four former "Jim Schwartz guys," in cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks, as well as linebackers Nigel Bradham and Stephen Tulloch. Of the four, the player who made the biggest positive impact on the field was Bradham.
Prior to joining the Eagles, Bradham had his best season in the pros playing for Schwartz in his lone year as the defensive coordinator in Buffalo. With the Eagles, Bradham put up similar numbers to his best season with the Bills:
| Nigel Bradham | Tackles | Sacks | FF | INT |
| 2014 Bills | 104 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 Eagles | 102 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
On the field, the Eagles got what they were hoping for when they signed Bradham as a free agent. Off the field, however, Bradham was arrested twice, first for allegedly assaulting a "cabana boy," and then for bringing a loaded gun to the Miami airport. That prompted Schwartz to essentially call Bradham a "dumbass."
In addition to facing consequences in court, Bradham could potentially face a suspension from the NFL.
"I’m pretty sure I’ll hear from them," Bradham acknowledged. "Both cases are still ongoing, so I think they’re just pretty much waiting until the cases are closed to determine what they’re going to do."
The Eagles entered the season thin at linebacker but were fortunate not to suffer any injuries to Bradham, Jordan Hicks, or Mychal Kendricks in 2016. In 2017, the Eagles would be wise to consider stocking up on linebacker depth to account for a potential loss of Bradham at some point.
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