Former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was hired to that same position with the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason, and to the surprise of no one connecting those dots, the Eagles are showing interest in multiple Bills free agents this offseason.
They have already signed cornerback Leodis McKelvin, who was released by the Bills last week, to a two-year deal. Now, they are evidently showing interest in free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham.
#Eagles reached out on another ex-Bills player who played for Jim Schwartz, per sources: LB Nigel Bradham. 26-yr old has 38 career starts.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) March 8, 2016
Bradham, who will turn 27 before the 2016 regular season begins, had an excellent 2014 season under Schwartz's tutelage, but fell off a bit in 2015 in his first (and perhaps only) year playing for Rex Ryan. Where he racked up 104 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles in 2014, he missed five games due to an ankle injury while recording just 59 tackles and one sack last season.
If Bradham does leave the Bills for greener pastures this offseason, the team will face the prospect of replacing him as a starting inside linebacker. Preston Brown and Manny Lawson ended the 2015 regular season as the Bills' primary linebackers, but Lawson is more of an outside linebacker, while Brown struggled mightily in his second season - particularly after Bradham went down with his injury.