Carolina Panthers James Bradberry is an elite corner in the NFC South

Carolina Panthers third-year cover man James Bradberry has quietly shut down some of the top wide receivers in the league this year.

Back in 2015, the other 24, Josh Norman, was released. Many Panthers fans had heart attacks. After going 15-1 in the regular season and reaching a Super Bowl, giving up a number one cover man for nothing seemed to be criminal activity. Furthermore, within the NFC South, wideouts Julio Jones and Mike Evans were projected to become dominant threats in prolific offenses. How could the Panthers deal with the opposing offenses in the NFC South?

At first, they couldn’t.

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In a forgettable 2016 season, the Panthers fell twice to the Atlanta Falcons. During one of those games, Julio Jones popped off for 300 yards and a touchdown. Man, that Panthers’ secondary missed that loud, trash talking, passionate Josh Norman. After all, his replacement, a second-round pick name James Bradberry was getting torched on what seemed to be every play.

Then during the 2017 season, Bradberry improved but was still thought of by most as an average type of cornerback that was desperately trying to fill shoes too large for him. Bradberry, who was still getting smacked by the likes of Mike Evans, Julio Jones, and now Michael Thomas, was considered to be a pathetic ghost of Josh Norman.

Suddenly, 2018 comes around.

Did Josh Norman come back?

No, but James Bradberry’s mental, physical, and overall play style dramatically improved. What sparked this change? Was it the abrupt trade that shipped off his fellow draft class member Daryl Worley to the Philipeldia Eagles? Was it the careful mentorship of veteran safety Mike Adams? Was it the defensive coordinator change? The world may never know, but James Bradberry can ball.

During week two, James Bradberry held Julio Jones to 64 yards on five receptions, a vast improvement over his previous matchups against the monstrous wideout. Furthermore, Bradberry recorded seven solo tackles and assisted in two more tackles. Bradberry even tackled Julio Jones, JULIO JONES, in the open field alone. For those who don’t believe that to be impressive, google how large of a human Julio Jones is. Hint: he’s big.

Then, the week after, James Bradberry lined up against none other than A. J. Green. The elite Cincinnati Bengals receiver was suffocated by Bradberry. Green caught five balls for 58 yards. Remember, this Bengals team was 2-0, and the offense looked terrifying with an elite number one in A. J. Green, a reliable number two wideout in Tyler Boyd, and an above average quarterback in Andy Dalton.

In his “worst” matchup against an elite wideout, James Bradberry allowed Odell Beckham Jr. to 131 yards and a touchdown. However, it’s important to remember the final score of that game. The final score was 33-31, and it was won on a historic kick by Graham Gano. A rough overall day for the defense coupled with how explosive of a player Beckham is, this isn’t the worst possible outcome.

The Panthers versus the Eagles was a matchup that tested the mental fortitude of the entire team. While Alshon Jeffery undoubtedly outplayed Bradberry for the first three quarters, Bradberry locked him down completely for the last quarter of football. Bradberry allowed two catches for 11 yards while breaking up three other passes. Bradberry’s mental state was validated in this matchup.

Finally, that brings up last weeks matchup against the Panthers’ divisional rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For those who watched the game last Sunday, Bradberry had no mercy for the wideout weather it be blanketing him so tightly “Fitzmagic” has to look away or ripping the ball out of his hands on critical third downs, there was no doubt yesterday that Bradberry was capable of throwing his weight around with the best.

“Are you a different animal, but the same beast?” was a question once posed by Kobe Bryant in a hilarious commercial featuring Kanye West. However, it’s a correct question to ask about James Bradberry. Bradberry is the same beast under the Carolina Panthers, but he’s a different animal.

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In the coming weeks, Bradberry will face difficult tests. He’s slated to rumble with Antonio Brown this coming Thursday night. Then there comes Doug Baldwin, Mike Evans again, Jarvis Landry, Michael Thomas, and Julio Jones again. However, Panther Nation can sleep easy because the new 24 won’t be sleeping on any of these upcoming challenges.

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