Eagles DC Vic Fangio: James Bradberry's 'feel for football' will help him transition to safety

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The Philadelphia Eagles’ plan to move James Bradberry from cornerback to safety ratchets up with the opening of training camp.

The 30-year-old corner struggled last season, getting picked on in his eighth year. Philly spent the offseason upgrading the position, including adding first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell, nickel Cooper DeJean in the second round, having Isaiah Rodgers come off the suspension list and bringing back Avonte Maddox.

The new depth chart squeezed Bradberry to the cut line, so Philly is attempting to move him to a safety role to add more versatility to his game.

Some corners over the years have made a smooth transition — Charles Woodson probably being the most famous — but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio noted Thursday that it’s not an easy move.

“You say you’ve seen that a lot over the years,” he said. “The truth is: No, you haven’t. The list of guys successfully transitioning from corner to safety is very small — with success. … We’ll see if he can do that.”

Fangio noted that Bradberry’s intelligence gives him a better shot than some to make the move, and he said that the Eagles could still have the veteran play some corner as well.

“James has got a good feel for football, very knowledgeable,” Fangio said. “So that will help him in that transition. He’ll still play some corner for us too.”

Moving Bradberry to safety feels like a last-ditch effort to give him a shot to make the club after last season’s struggles. If he can transition successfully, it would provide Fangio with a movable chess piece and an experienced player who could work as somewhat of a swing secondary player.