[jwplayer p8EALkhf-ThvAeFxT]
On paper, Nigel Bradham is the sort of player most teams would want to have on their roster. He’s an NFL veteran entering his ninth year at the pro level, and a Super Bowl champion from his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. Even if he didn’t start ahead of promising youngsters like rookie draft pick Zack Baun or Alex Anzalone, having someone with as many quality reps to his credit is valuable.
But that didn’t stop the New Orleans Saints from releasing Bradham on Monday, just weeks after signing him and with just a handful of padded practice sessions on the books. So what gives?
One explanation would be how impressive the new additions have looked in training camp. Baun and Anzalone specifically have dominated practice reps with the first-team defense, playing together with Demario Davis in base sets and rotating in and out next to Davis in more-common nickel formations. And Baun’s college experience as a hand-in-the-dirt defender on the line of scrimmage gives him some versatility that Bradham lacks.
But it’s deeper than Bradham not being able to crack the starting lineup. The Saints have several backups they’re invested in, like second-year pros Kaden Elliss (a sixth-round draft pick out of Idaho) and Chase Hansen (a college safety from Utah who lost his rookie year to an injury). Longtime special teams captain Craig Robertson is also in the mix, and so is rookie standout Joe Bachie.
Bachie, an undrafted free agent signed from Michigan State, made a quick impression on Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges (who is also very high on Baun). He just hopes Bachie can chip in enough on special teams to make the roster.
Hodges talked up Bachie in his Aug. 19 media conference call: “I love Joe, he is so smart. He could play all three positions for us and that’s without even repping at the sam linebacker. He’s just such a veteran linebacker, inside linebacker, meaning this guy’s been playing mike linebacker since he’s been nine years old so there are a lot of things that carry over.”
So if Bradham wasn’t going to start next to Davis or make an impact on the kicking game (he never played more than 59 special teams snaps in a full season during his four years with the Eagles), the Saints probably figured that they would be better served running with the first- and second-year linebackers instead.
We’ll see if that gamble plays off. But so far, it’s easy to see why they’re so encouraged with the youth movement on defense.
[lawrence-related id=29723,29195,36748]
[vertical-gallery id=37025]