Stewart

Bradley

Injury prone but effective in four years with the Eagles, Bradley failed to adjust to Ray Horton’s 3-4 defense in the desert. Bradley never beat out Paris Lenon, finishing the season with under 20 percent of Arizona’s defensive snaps. With Lenon entering his age-35 season, Bradley should get another shot in camp.

Bradley had to take a pay cut this offseason from $5 million to $2.5 million. Paris Lenon is returning as the starter opposite Daryl Washington after leading the Cardinals in defensive snaps. Sam Acho and O’Brien Schofield are entrenched at outside linebacker.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt praised Reggie Walker as Daryl Washington’s (calf) fill-in against Carolina, while saying Bradley is still in transition mode after playing the first four seasons of his career in a 4-3 scheme with Philadelphia. Bradley may be needed more in Week 2 due to Washington’s strained calf, but so far early returns aren’t promising for the $25 million offseason pickup.

Paris Lenon kicks from “Mike” to “Will,” allowing Bradley to line up in his more natural position. It’s a major downgrade for the Cardinals, especially after Bradley reportedly didn’t know the defense well enough to play in Week 1. If Bradley struggles, we wouldn’t be surprised if Reggie Walker rotated in often.

The Cardinals gave Bradley a $10 million signing bonus on a five-year, $25 million contract in late July. He’s failed to crack the inside linebacker rotation behind Paris Lenon and Daryl Washington, managing just 14 tackles on the season. Needless to day, he’s been a colossal free agent bust thus far.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but the Cards would still be on the hook for $3 million against the cap. It’s a tough decision for the new regime. Bradley fell out of favor last season, playing mostly on special teams as he fell behind Reggie Walker. The Cards desperately need to find a serviceable linebacker to line up next to beast Daryl Washington.

Bradley was released by Arizona two weeks ago, and Denver was his only free-agent visit. He’s expected to compete with Nate Irving and, to a degree, Steven Johnson for the starting middle linebacker job. Bradley turns 30 in November, and his signing likely means Joe Mays will be released.

Signed to a five-year, $25 million deal after the lockout, Bradley was a mega-bust for the Cardinals, starting just one game in two seasons. He was relegated to special teams in 2012, and finishes his Cardinals tenure with only 42 tackles in 32 games. The move clears $3.5 million in cap space, but leaves behind $3 million in dead money. Going on 30, Bradley isn’t going to get any guaranteed money on the open market. Finding someone to start opposite ILB Daryl Washington is a priority for Arizona.

Bradley was a colossal bust in Arizona, and was just released by the team earlier this month. Denver has a hole at middle linebacker, and they might offer him a chance to compete with Nate Irving for the job.

Bradley was in line to surpass Nate Irving for starting duties before going under the knife two weeks ago. Now he’ll enter 2014 having made just one start since 2010. He’ll have to troll for back-up jobs in free agency.