Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
#58. James Bradberry
The Carolina Panthers have had their fair share of standout corners in their day. Some have been the bombastic variety, like Josh Norman. But others have been a rare breed for elite cornerbacks—quiet and unassuming. One of those cornerbacks was James Bradberry.
The Panthers selected Bradberry in the second round of the 2016 draft after a standout career playing for Samford at the FCS level of college football. He was undaunted by the jump in competition level though. He was brought in along with two other rookie corners as the Panthers desperately tried to replace the production of Josh Norman, who was franchise tagged then released after an All Pro season because Dave Gettleman. Bradberry won one of the starting cornerback jobs and immediately made an impact. He was graded as the best rookie cornerback by Pro Football Focus, and he established himself as the Panthers’ top corner.
Bradberry would be the Panthers’ number one corner for his entire four year career in Carolina. He never earned postseason accolades, but that was probably more a result of his quiet persona and the lack of exposure he got in Carolina. He went on to make a Pro Bowl while with the Giants and second team All Pro with the Eagles, but you could argue his time in Carolina was better than at least the Pro Bowl season in New York. Bradberry always did his part to limit opposing number one wide receivers, even if he never put up flashy stats or never intercepted a lot of passes.
Bradberry’s time in Carolina only lasted four years, as he departed to the New York Giants in free agency to reunite with his old GM Dave Gettleman. He went on to have successful stints in New York and Philadelphia, but he got started here in Carolina. For that, he takes the #58 spot on the list of top 100 Panthers of all time.
