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Eagles 2013 Free Agency Review: Bradley Fletcher
Published16 Jan 2014
Bradley Fletcher started out shakily but turned in a solid campaign in his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Over the course of the next two weeks we will examine each of the Philadelphia Eagles 2013 free-agent signings and off-season additions and look at how they contributed to this year's NFC East championship team both on and off the field.
CB Bradley Fletcher
When Bradley Fletcher signed with the Eagles last March, some people even mistook his name as Fletcher Bradley, and in the first few weeks of the season it appeared that his name may not even matter.
That's the kind of start to the 2013 season Fletcher had, but his early struggles in coverage and getting his footing in Billy Davis' 3-4 scheme gave way to a respectable finish to the year that even included an interception off Drew Brees in the playoffs.
At 6', 200 pounds, Fletcher is the kind of physical cornerback that the Eagles had been missing in recent years during the failed Nnamdi Asomugha/Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie experiment. He played that way through most of the year.
By season's end, Fletcher finished with 70 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions while adding an interception and four tackles against the Saints in the Eagles 26-24 loss in the NFC Wild Card round.
Given the communication breakdown over the last two seasons in the secondary, what Fletcher brought to the secondary, along with fellow free agent signing Cary Williams, was stability. If the Eagles follow through on their plans to pick up an impact pass rusher this offseason, then the duo will be better equipped next season to match up with some of the league's elite receivers.
As a whole, the Birds secondary held Calvin Johnson to under 50 yards and kept Alshon Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall under wraps to the tune of neither eclipsing 100-yards in their week 16 matchup.
Needless to say, Fletcher began to make a name for himself by season's end.
Signing Grade: B
Fletcher's early season struggles in coverage are the only thing keeping this signing from an "A" grade. His numbers were respectable and he is a vast improvement over whatever cornerback had lined up in Philadelphia over the course of the last three years. However, there's still a chance the Eagles upgrade the position in the draft this spring.
2013 Free Agency Review
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
