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How will Nigel Bradham’s absence affect the Eagles during week one?

By Justin Grasso

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 19: Nigel Bradham #53 of the Philadelphia Eagles yells at Dez Bryant #88 of the Dallas Cowboys (not pictured) after a play in the first quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on November 19, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 19: Nigel Bradham #53 of the Philadelphia Eagles yells at Dez Bryant #88 of the Dallas Cowboys (not pictured) after a play in the first quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on November 19, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Eagles will undoubtedly need to implement the next-man-up mentality once again with Nigel Bradham out.

Times have been tough for the Philadelphia Eagles despite being Super Bowl Champions. Ever since week two of the 2017 season, the Eagles have lost some significant names to season-ending injuries. And to this day they are heading into training camp with multiple stars that could potentially miss the season opener in September.

Now, the Eagles just found out that they will be missing yet, another star when week one rolls around. This time, it isn’t due to an injury, though. Eagles veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham has had some off-field issues in the past. One involved an altercation while on vacation with his family. And another involved him accidentally leaving a weapon at the airport.

Both incidents landed him in some trouble with the police, and for that, he will have to sit out the Eagles season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Although Bradham’s punishment isn’t too over the top, his absence could massively affect the Eagles.

How will this affect the team?

Last season, Bradham became a star on the Eagles defense. His 88 tackles and eight pass deflections earned him a five-year deal worth $40 million. It was a no-brainer for the Eagles to bring back their number-one tackler from their Super Bowl season. But now without him, the defense is sure to take a hit.

The Eagles will look slightly different on defense when week one rolls around. Especially their linebacker core. They are sure to be without Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, and possibly Jordan Hicks. That could leave all of the responsibility up to Corey Nelson, Nathan Gerry, Joe Walker, and possibly Kamu Grugier-Hill, which doesn’t look so dangerous on paper.

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Last year, the Eagles struggled to stay healthy at linebacker, but they were lucky to have Bradham on board to take things over and pick up the slack. Without him, they could struggle big time at the position. Fortunately, Bradham’s absence will only last one game. Hopefully, by week two, the Eagles will have all of their weapons at linebacker for the first time since November of 2017.

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