Panthers Tracks: James Bradberry on the new CBA, Luke Kuechly and watching XFL

The start of the new league year is less than two weeks away and things are already heating up for the Carolina Panthers.

One of the big names from the team in free agency will be cornerback James Bradberry, who could be in line to become one of the highest-paid at his position after four years in Carolina. We sat down with him last week and got a picture of his offseason and the expectations he has for himself. But during our conversation, we talked about so many topics that it was impossible to fit it all in one story.

Here’s more from Bradberry on the offseason, the Panthers and the current events in the NFL:

On the Panthers’ new coaching staff: “They’re cool people you know, I just wanted to see what kind of coaches they are, (what kind of) people they are, how they interact with you, but you never know how somebody interacts with you until you get on the field. If the opportunity presents itself and I’m back here, I’m going to enjoy it regardless, because they seem like good people.”

On the CBA negotiations: “I don’t watch a whole lot of news, so all my news is through Twitter. I saw some of the (information) new negotiations. ... Of course it looked good on paper, but you never know what they’re talking about behind doors and what not. I saw a lot of veterans don’t like it like Richard Sherman, JJ Watt ...”

Thoughts on a 17-game season: “Mixed. If we get paid more, you know of course I’d be down with it, but 17 games is a lot. Sixteen games is a lot. That’s three (more) hours of football, of smashing somebody.”

On learning how to watch film to improve his game: “Coming out of college, I didn’t really watch a whole lot of film. When I got into the league, I tried to watch film, but I didn’t really have the right format, so I wasn’t doing it correctly. So, when I would see Luke (Kuechly) staying after practice or staying after the day was over with watching film in the linebackers room and I would sit there and watch how he went about watching film and I tried to implement that into my game and it helped. Along with Shaq (Thompson), he gave me some tips. Thomas Davis, Captain Munnerlyn, Mike Adams, a lot of the veteran guys that came through Carolina they helped me out a lot. I owe them a lot.”

Defensive leadership on the Panthers in 2019: “We had guys like KK (Kawann Short) step up, that capacity I’ve seen him step up in OTAs and training camp. Unfortunately, he got hurt, but I feel like he was a key piece that we were missing throughout this year. People don’t realize how important he is. I feel like if KK was on our defense, things could have gone way differently. But Shaq stepped up, of course Luke is going to do what he does, Tre Boston came in and stood there from the back-end. Eric Reid, he’s not talkative, of course like me, but when you’re in the meeting room with him, you know, he puts everything into perspective, puts everything you know, the coach might say something that you don’t understand as a player, but then he comes right behind him and explains it to you, so that you can understand it.”

On Kuechly’s retirement: “I didn’t really expect it, but I know he had issues with concussions in the past, and I know it probably played a part in his decision. I’m glad he had a great career career; he played eight long years. To me, he’s the greatest linebacker of all-time. Great teammate, great person. I’m glad he got to play those eight years. I’m happy for him. ... To me it ended well for him.”

Thinking about potential head injuries: “Of course you think about it, but on Sundays I try not to think about it. I try to think about it in the offseason more. And I just try to put myself in a better position. I might take some supplements that the league will let us use, maybe like fish oil, (it’s) supposed to help with brain development. I’ll take that throughout the year. ... I try to do things that will help me in the long run and try to avoid brain issues and joint issues.”

Watching football in his free time: “I watched the Super Bowl because it’s good, I also had my college teammate play in the game (Jaquiski Tartt), so I watched it, but I didn’t really watch a whole lot of playoff games. ... I watch the XFL, I know some guys that I played with. ... I like the kickoff rule.”

Required reading

+ James Bradberry’s life changed Valentine’s Day. What happens next is out of his hands

+ Why the Panthers trading Trai Turner for veteran Russell Okung makes sense — to a point

+ What the NFL combine taught us about Matt Rhule and this new era of the Panthers