Is James Bradberry the NFL’s best CB after leaving the Panthers?
By Dean Jones
Do the Carolina Panthers regret letting James Bradberry go?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have in the NFL. The Carolina Panthers made some big decisions during the first year of head coach Matt Rhule’s rebuild and this has come with some hits and plenty of misses.
Make no mistake, James Bradberry falls into the latter.
It was hard to predict Bradberry making this sort of leap and the Panthers were never going to be in a position to offer the cornerback the sort of deal handed to him by the Giants. That being said, there was an opportunity for them to tie down their No. 1 cornerback prior to the 2019 campaign, and they simply failed to get the job done.
Donte Jackson has done well despite dealing with a toe injury for almost the entirety of the season. Rasul Douglas was a nice pickup prior to the campaign and Corn Elder has done well from the slot when called upon.
However, no Panthers corner has performed to Bradberry’s level this season.
Would Carolina be better off with Bradberry? Absolutely.
However, they have some nice pieces who could fill the void if they all progress their respective skills during a critical offseason period for the franchise., There is also the opportunity to bring in further reinforcements during free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft, which would be another substantial boost in their bid to become a playoff contender.