On Sept. 4, at 7 p.m., James Bradberry stood on the sidelines of Dulczak Family Field, beneath a twilight sky.
The scene around him was typical Friday night high school football: packed stands, cheerleaders waving pom-poms, a small pep band performing covers.
And to an uninformed spectator, it would look like nothing else. The home team lined up on the sidelines for the national anthem, in their Kelly green jerseys, with coaches in white polos and black slacks.
Bradberry was stationed at the very end, next to sophomore lineman Sam Torres. As the game began, he crouched to get a better look. He high-fived players as they jogged past, occasionally pulling them aside.
When one of his cornerbacks, Julian Vasquez-Soto, got dinged up toward the end of the second quarter, it was Bradberry who joined the trainers to check on him, picking his helmet off the ground, and extending a hand.
Any other coach would do the same, but of course, Bradberry is not any other coach. At least not at Camden Catholic High School. The former NFL cornerback spent eight years playing for the Panthers, Giants, and Eagles.
During that stretch, he became adept at disrupting offenses, particularly in the air. Bradberry finished his career with 112 passes defended, good for 40th on the NFL all-time list, and 19 interceptions.
He helped Philly to a Super Bowl appearance in 2022 (despite committing a consequential late-game holding penalty against the Chiefs) and finally earned his ring in 2024.
The veteran was on injured reserve that season, but found other ways to contribute, mainly by mentoring two young defenders in Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. His position coach at the time, current Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker, told him he should consider coaching.
It was a suggestion Bradberry had heard before, but now, the timing was right. After the Eagles released him in June of 2025, he began to search for high school opportunities near Cherry Hill, where he lives with his family.
This past August, he found one, when a friend mentioned his son’s alma mater, Camden Catholic. “They’re always looking for good coaches,” he told Bradberry.
The former NFL cornerback called up athletic director Jim McHugh, a lifelong Eagles fan. It didn’t take McHugh long to discern that he was talking to a Pro Bowler.
“As soon as he told me he was from Alabama originally, I was like, ‘OK, this is the guy,’” McHugh said. “‘This is an Eagles All-Pro.’”
The athletic director connected Bradberry with head coach John Martino, who invited him to campus. The former Eagle has been at Camden Catholic five days a week ever since; reviewing film, lifting weights, and helping with walk-throughs.
He doesn’t miss a game or practice; McHugh said that if anything, Bradberry puts in more time than other coaches. The Super Bowl champion is easygoing by nature, which has helped him assimilate to his new home.
A month later, the Irish still can’t believe their luck.
“I didn’t expect it,” said senior running back Nymir Daily. “You don’t expect an NFL player to come to a 2-9 team … So to see him come here, it was motivation.
“It boosted our confidence that we could really be good. We could really go out here and perform.”
Lunch talk on the sidelines
Bradberry first met the players on Aug. 18. They were about to start a preseason workout, stretching out on the field, when they saw a 6-2, 210-pound man walking toward them.
Martino introduced the former Eagle, explaining that he’d be joining practice for the day. It wasn’t the most productive practice. The head coach joked that the high schoolers — and his staff — were “wide-eyed for two and a half hours.”
After it was done, Bradberry told Martino he’d mull his decision over. Less than 24 hours later, without any advance notice, he was back at Camden Catholic, ready to commit to the program full time.
For the first few weeks, Bradberry stayed in the background, quietly observing other coaches. But eventually, he started to speak up, especially when he noticed something off.
A few days before Camden Catholic’s home opener, Bradberry was going over his scout team defense. He was standing on the sideline and heard a riveting conversation between sophomore Chase Green and freshman Divine Jackson.
The former Eagle pulled them aside.
“They was talking about tater tots,” Bradberry recalled. “Actual tater tots. They was having a food conversation. You got to remind them to lock in and focus.”
Green and Jackson corroborated this.
“We were talking about school lunch,” Jackson said.
Another adjustment has been in how Bradberry communicates. For the last eight years, the former cornerback has been working in NFL facilities. Now, he’s surrounded by teenagers, many of whom only understand the basics of the sport.
Explaining the curl-flat concept in pass defense, for example, took a few tries. When Bradberry first raised it to his scout-team defense, he told them that it was important to not get “out-leveraged by a number two.”
The former Eagle was met with blank stares.
He rephrased, telling the high schoolers that they couldn’t get beat to the flat.
“After I yelled at them a few times — ‘Get to the flat, get to the flat’ — they understood,” Bradberry said.
It is a daily reminder to meet players where they are — even if that level is far from what Bradberry is accustomed to. Football jargon aside, the high schoolers have learned a lot from their new coach: technique advice, footwork, positioning.
But they’ve also used this time to pepper “Coach JB” with questions, like who the toughest receiver he’s ever covered is and whether he’s played against certain guys.
And of course, as any young man would, to ask for fantasy football advice.
“I told them the Rams defense is gonna look good this year,” Bradberry said. “And you know, I’m always an Eagles guy. I’m still in South Jersey, so I’m always an Eagles guy.”
‘Like Christmas in July’
Daily plays both defensive back and running back. On Sept. 4, the star senior was omnipresent, accounting for all four of Camden Catholic’s touchdowns, while rushing a whopping total of 305 yards.
His aunt, Nona Daily, danced in the stands as she cheered for her nephew. His name boomed over the static-filled loudspeaker, again and again: “Nymir Daily, on the carry, results in an Irish … first down!”
But with three minutes and 54 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the celebration came to a halt. Daily had just notched yet another first down, and decided to celebrate by raising his arm, mimicking the referee’s signal.
Some officiating crews would let it go; this crew didn’t. Daily was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct. The team was given a 15-yard penalty. Bradberry, who was standing nearby, walked over to the senior.
They talked about keeping composure and the consequences of mistakes in critical moments. The running back returned from the half energized, scoring two more touchdowns to give his team a 26-20 win over Riverside High School.
“James was there to pick up the pieces,” Martino said.
Bradberry thinks Daily has a chance to play at the collegiate level, so he’s been keeping close tabs on him. But their relationship goes far beyond football. Daily said that the former Eagle has become a father figure.
In 2021, his mother died in a car accident. Ever since, Daily has been living with Nona in Pennsauken. The high schooler has coped with this loss by staying busy, mainly through sports.
In addition to football, he plays basketball, and runs track. Daily has become close with many of his coaches, particularly his previous head coach at Camden Catholic, Wayne Gilliam.
When Gilliam departed in January of 2025, for Haddon Heights High School, it left a void. But since then, Bradberry has helped fill that role. The former Eagle is not just a teacher on the field, but a confidant off it.
“James helps me with everything,” Daily said. “Everything you can think of. Say I’m having girl problems. He’ll come and talk to me about the girl, tell me what I should do or what I should say. I can [talk] to him about anything.
“I don’t have a perfect life at home,” he added. “Nobody does, but I really don’t have perfect life at home. So, he helps me with stuff.”
Bradberry doesn’t know what will happen next year. He might try to help coach a college team, as he works his way up the ladder.
But even if it’s just one season with Camden Catholic, his impact will last for years to come.
Particularly with the star running back, who has a bright, bright future ahead.
“I think James sees a lot of himself in Nymir, so they kind of gravitated to each other,” said Martino. “And James, to Nymir … I think it was like Christmas in July.”
