4 offseason moves hurting the Panthers through Week 6
By Dean Jones
Not paying James Bradberry
The Carolina Panthers chose not to give James Bradberry the sort of money he was looking for. This left the cornerback with no choice other than to depart in favor of a three-year, $43.5 million with the New York Giants that included almost $32 million guaranteed.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow has received some nice contributions from his cornerback unit over six weeks. Rasul Douglas has been a revelation after being picked up off the waiver wire late and Donte Jackson has shown flashes of being a No. 1 player at the position despite suffering some problems staying healthy.
That being said, it’s hard to look at what Bradberry is going at MetLife Stadium and argue that it would not have helped this young roster considerably.
The former second-round pick is now entering his prime and has clearly taken a big step forward in a different environment. Bradberry has been one of the NFL’s top-performing corners through Week 6 and this is further reflected in his exceptional 83.7 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Bradberry wasn’t like the other free-agent departures from Carolina, who were all past the peak of their powers. This is a player who has his best years ahead of him and the Panthers should’ve done more to keep him around.