Philadelphia Eagles: Shaun Bradley made Alex Singleton expendable

There’s a segment of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ fanbase that’s happy about losing Alex Singleton in free agency.

They were relieved that the franchise didn’t extend him a tender in restricted free agency, fine with him hitting the open market, and elated to see the fourth-year linebacker take his talents to Denver as part of the Broncos’ super team.

And yet, for others, it’s hard not to feel torn on the Singleton situation. Sure, he gave up more plays in coverage than he made and became a bit of a focal point for opposing quarterbacks to pick on, but Singleton played very well on special teams and in run-focused situations. If the Eagles could secure an upgrade in their starting lineup, whether that comes via an internal elevation, a new draftee, or a free agent signee – could you even imagine? – then losing Singleton is no biggie, but if things go sour and the reserves have to take on a bigger role like, well, like every season really, losing an experienced professional with solid measurables could hurt.

Then again, once Shaun Bradley came into his own as a potential perennial Pro Bowler on special teams in 2021, it made Alex Singleton, the Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams captain, expendable.

The Philadelphia Eagles need Shaun Bradley to step up in 2022.

When Shaun Bradley joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 as a sixth-round pick out of Temple, his spot on the 53 man roster was anything but guaranteed.

A native of Mount Holly, New Jersey, who played running back and defensive back at Rancocas Valley High School, Bradley cracked the Owls’ starting defensive lineup as a sophomore in 2017, where he played middle linebacker for then-head coach Geoff Collins. Over his final three seasons on North Broad, Bradley amassed 249 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, two sacks, three picks, and three forced fumbles while serving as the leader of defense looking to fill the holes left by Haason Reddick, Matt Ioannidis, and Tyler Matakevich.

This, when coupled with a fantastic showing at the 2020 NFL Draft combine, theoretically should have made Bradley a solid prospect heading into the draft but more than a few talent evaluators gave pause to the Temple tuff prospect’s, um, prospects as a pro, citing his lack of size and struggles in coverage.

Were those scouts, like NFL.com’s Lance Zerlain, correct? Frankly, it’s hard to say, as Bradley has played less than 100 defensive snaps in each of his first two professional seasons, but even if they were right on the money, that hasn’t stopped 54 from running wild on special teams, where he’s played so well that he was named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2021.

A four core special teamer who ranked third on the Eagles in special teams snaps – 280 – behind gunners Zech McPhearson and Andre Chachere despite only appearing in 12 games, Bradley recorded 19 special teams tackles over the past two seasons, the highest mark of any Philly player over that timetable, and crossed the double-digit mark with an 11 tackle performance in 2021. Bradley turned in multiple multi-tackle games, including an absolute tour de force in Week 6, where he took down return man Jaydon Mickens three times.

And with Alex Singleton now a member of the Denver Broncos, Bradley will need to step up even more in 2022, as he has the inside track to earn a C on his uniform this fall.

Whether you liked him or not, Alex Singleton was a fantastic find for the Philadelphia Eagles. After spending three seasons in Canada, the pride of Montana State made the 53 man roster the hard way and went on to lead the Birds in tackles over two straight seasons in 2020 and 2021. While his coverage wasn’t always the best, as his fit in Jim Schwartz’s defense was better than in Jonathan Gannon’s, the Eagles are going to need someone to step up and fill his shoes both on defense and special teams. Will that player be Shaun Bradley? Only time will tell, but it’s safe to say he’ll have an inside track to do just that.