2. James Bradberry
Ron Rivera tends to be conservative with putting young players on the field, but that was never the case with James Bradberry. Not only did Bradberry transition from FCS football to a starting NFL cornerback on day one, but he took over the role following Josh Norman‘s 2015 All-Pro season. Strong expectations were set for Bradberry as the number one corner. Though he has not had a Norman-like season, he probably hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves for being a solid cornerback on a defense trying to recapture its identity since Sean McDermott departed.
Similar to Thompson, Bradberry enters the final year of his rookie contract. Ron Rivera has indicated the importance of Bradberry’s role and that he would prefer to re-sign the solid cornerback.
Ron Rivera on CB James Bradberry (who’s in a contract year): “We’ve kind of shown that you’ve got to be able to keep that type of corner around.”
— Joe Person (@josephperson) June 12, 2019
The consistency from Bradberry that Rivera alludes to has certainly been apparent year-to-year. The same cannot be said at the opposite cornerback position prior to Donte Jackson. Bene Benwikere and Daryl Worley had their fair share of struggles across the field from Bradberry, most infamously against Julio Jones in 2017, where Jones collected over 300 yards on the day and Benwikere was released shortly after. Thankfully, the Panthers struck gold in the 2018 NFL draft by selecting Donte Jackson in the second-round. Jackson has already proven to benefit Bradberry as either corner can be trusted in one-on-one coverage without requiring safety help.
The biggest key to why Bradberry is in for a breakout season is the strong pass rushing unit the Panthers have acquired. The Panthers were at the bottom of the league in sacks and creating pressure last season. Despite that, Bradberry and Jackson still held their own in coverage.
The Falcons and Panthers both were top 10 in forced incompletion rate last season! pic.twitter.com/qMoRPfDubT
— PFF (@PFF) June 24, 2019
The Panthers now have one of the best front sevens in the league and should finish in the top ten in sacks and creating pressure without having to manufacture pressure from outside of the defensive line. Bradberry should reap the benefits from opposing quarterbacks being put under consistent pressure. He will be in the best situation of his young career in 2019.