The Philadelphia Eagles didn't have a spectacular 2019. They did, however, still win the NFC East and have a very bright future ahead.
Due to that, it might be surprising to some to see that on Tuesday they cut veteran starting linebacker Nigel Bradham.
Bradham has had his issues in the past (such as an arrest), but by all accounts was a fantastic player on the field.
The linebacker has been a staple of the Philadelphia defense for the last four seasons. In that time, he's helped the team to some great seasons, including the first and only Super Bowl win of the franchise's lifetime.
Now, that being said, there are some solid reasons behind this release.
Bradham did just have his worst season in an Eagles uniform in 2019. He appeared in 12 games, posting just 61 tackles and having no sacks for the first time since 2013. While he did have an interception, he also had no forced fumbles and just didn't seem himself.
There's also the contract. While it wasn't a crazy amount of money, Bradham was set to take slightly over $5,000,000 in cap room. That's money the Eagles can use to go get help at other positions of need. Or perhaps find a younger linebacker to replace the former starter.
Like with any cuts, there are some negatives and positives to this move. Bradham was a very important piece of that championship team back in 2017. However, he was clearly not the same player in 2019 and it appears the Eagles feel the best course of action was to move on.
Hopefully, this is a move that benefits all in due time. The Eagles can move on with some extra money in their pockets, and Bradham can go to a new team and thrive there.