Bradley Roby, Eagles agree to practice squad contract

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to add a bit of much-needed depth to their secondary, with the team reportedly signing CB Bradley Roby after a workout on Tuesday.

Roby is expected to sign to the Eagles practice squad, get in shape and learn the defense, and then be elevated to the 53-man roster.

Philly’s defensive backfield has done a solid job for the amount of holes they’re trying to fill, but between Avonte Maddox out for the remainder of the season, and a weekly combination of players missing games due to injuries, the secondary depth was running thin.

Over the past two games we saw a mixed bag of guys at different positions, with the Eagles rotating corners and safeties in the slot. James Bradberry and Sydney Brown took snaps in the slot, Josh Jobe moved to the outside, and Terrell Edmunds had to come in for Justin Evans at safety. Cross-training the players during training camp has certainly come in handy, but it wasn’t really sustainable.

Defensive coordinator Sean Desai spoke to reporters on Tuesday and admitted that they were still evaluating whether putting Bradberry in the slot was the best way to utilize his talents — given he’s spent the majority of his career at outside corner. Desai applauded the job Bradberry has done, but acknowledged they weren’t committed to the placement.

Now, with Roby getting acclimated, he should bring some additional veteran experience to the group. Drafted out of Ohio State in 2014, Roby was with the Broncos for five seasons before signing with the Texans in 2019, and the Saints in 2021. During his nine-year career, the cornerback has recorded 327 solo tackles, 85 pass breakups, 11 interceptions returned for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns, 8 forced fumbles of which he recovered 7 and 1 he took in for a TD, and 5.0 sacks.

He didn’t earn a starting role with the Broncos until 2018, but he had four seasons prior to that to learn from some of the best defensive backs in the game, including Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. — not to mention the other guys on that Denver defense, like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Brandon Marshall, and T.J. Ward.

It’s encouraging that Roby had interest from several teams, but ultimately wanted to come to Philly to help the Eagles win a Super Bowl. He won a ring in 2015, and knows what it takes to climb the mountain (as Nick Sirianni likes to say). The Buckeye shouldn’t take long to get up to speed and onto the field.