Eagles linebacker Shaun Bradley suffered a season-ending injury in last night’s preseason loss to the Ravens, as Bradley himself noted on Instagram (h/t Zach Berman of The Athletic on Twitter). Per EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bradley sustained an Achilles tear while handling punt-blocking duties.
Bradley, a sixth-round pick in 2020, has primarily worked as a special-teamer during his tenure with the Eagles, and in fact saw no defensive snaps in 2022 after at least getting a cameo at linebacker during his first two professional seasons. However, his abilities in the third phase would have guaranteed him a roster spot in 2023.
The Temple product appeared in 80% of Philadelphia’s ST snaps last season, and most of his 45 career tackles have come on special teams. In the wake of the offseason departures of T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, Bradley was also getting LB reps in this year’s training camp, as Smith tweets. However, the recent additions of veterans Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham may have again relegated Bradley exclusively to an ST role.
Still, the Eagles will feel Bradley’s absence, and it is a particularly brutal blow for the player, who is eligible for free agency next year.
“Not how I wanted the season to end for me, but I believe that God truly does give his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers,” Bradley wrote on his Instagram post. “I’ve been beating the odds my entire life, I’m not even supposed to be here. Just another chapter in my story. I will be back better than I ever was. I can promise that.”
this is what sucks about preseason football