Eagles bench James Bradberry in favor of Kelee Ringo in second quarter of wild card game with Buccaneers

James Bradberry has struggled throughout his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive play caller Matt Patricia might have seen enough. 

Bradberry was seemingly benched in favor of rookie fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo in the second quarter of Monday’s playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Eagles may have had the last straw with their struggling cornerback after he failed to wrap up Rachaad White on a third-down tackle attempt that resulted in White getting a first down in the red zone on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ opening possession. 

The Eagles did hold the Buccaneers to a field goal on the opening drive, but the missed tackle by Bradberry was in indicator of his season (and how poor the Eagles defense has been). 

Bradberry was also in coverage when Mike Evans dropped an easy touchdown, prompting Patricia to make the call to replace him with Ringo. Bradberry allowed nine passing touchdowns this season with recording only one interception, having an 87.1 passer rating in coverage while allowing 12.1 yards per completion. 

The future of Bradberry is uncertain with two years left on his contract. As Bradberry faltered in 2023, so did the Eagles defense.