Nigel Bradham

Bradham has been the most consistent presence among Eagles linebackers the past three seasons, leading the group in defensive snap count on each occasion on his way to 6.2 tackles per game. He's also durable, with seven absences in as many seasons (and two of them due to suspension). The Eagles allowed Jordan Hicks to leave as a free agent during the offseason, giving Bradham and newcomer Zach Brown the best chance to rise into the IDP relevance.

With Jordan Hicks out for most of 2017 due to an Achilles injury, Bradham became even more of a key cog in the Eagles defense, filling in as signal-caller and middle linebacker. Bradham got paid handsomely in the offseason, too, returning to Philadelphia on a five-year deal. With Hicks now presumably healthy, the 28-year-old Bradham is slated to return to the outside, where he'll once again be a high-floor, low-ceiling linebacker who should end up shy of 100 tackles with a handful of big plays after all is said and done.

Bradham was the more valuable IDP between himself and teammate Jordan Hicks last year, so it might seem fair to rank him ahead of Hicks on any 2017 lists. Bradham had a fairly modest tackle total himself, though, barely getting past the triple-digit mark on 990 defensive snaps. And unlike Hicks, Bradham hasn't shown interception upside in the past, totaling just two in five years, while Hicks has seven in 24 games. It's hard to see the upside scenario for Bradham, who has never topped 104 tackles in five NFL seasons.

Bradham, now 26-years-old, signed a two-year deal with the Eagles this offseason after four seasons in Buffalo. He's projected to start at outside linebacker after Philadelphia traded Kiko Alonso to the Dolphins this offseason, clearing room for Bradham to have an impact immediately upon arrival. He'll look to reach the 100-tackle mark for the second time in his career in 2016, when he'll be reunited with new Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who also spent time with the Bills.

Bradham took a big step forward in 2014 and looks to continue building a reputation as one of the better linebackers around. He started 14 games last year and recorded 104 tackles. He and Preston Brown are two of the surefire starters in Rex Ryan's new defense.

The third-year linebacker has gotten 13 starts over the past two seasons though only two last year. He did finish the season with a nice game at New England and has opportunity to see expanded work at weakside thanks to Kiko Alonso's ACL tear. That is, after he serves a one-game suspension to start the season.

Although he was only a part-time player as a fourth-round pick rookie in 2012, the Bills are prepared to give Bradham a full plate of responsibilities in 2013. The former Florida State star is very athletic and, no matter whether the Bills run a 4-3 or 3-4 this year, Bradham has the length and athleticism to stay on the field through all formations. With Kelvin Sheppard and Nick Barnett run out of town, it's difficult to see how Bradham could possibly fall short of three-down duties this year. He finished his rookie year with only 47 stops, but he will see his defensive snap count at least double this year, making anything short of triple digits a disappointment.

Bradham is an extremely athletic linebacker who can give Buffalo an explosive blitz threat right away in certain packages. While the Bills think they might have gotten a steal in the fourth round of 2012, he has almost no chance of starting with a few more experienced linebackers ahead of him. He'll need to improve his block-shedding ability, and for now it looks like he'll also have to prove himself on special teams. But his athleticism is high and he excelled in a major conference, so he's worth keeping an eye on.