Giants DB James Bradberry looking forward to challenge of defending Seahawks star DK Metcalf

DK Metcalf has quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s most dynamic receivers, a 6-4, 229-pound wideout with 4.3 speed, great hands and a physical style of play rarely seen in the sport.

As Joe Judge so aptly put it about the Seahawks’ second-year star, "You don’t have a lot of guys walking the Earth like him."

Welcome to your next assignment, James Bradberry.

The fifth-year cornerback will face a monumental task when the Giants visit the Seahawks on Sunday in a huge game for the newly minted NFC East front-runners. With Metcalf putting together an All-Pro season — he already has 58 catches for a league-high 1,039 yards along with nine touchdowns — the Bradberry-Metcalf matchup could prove pivotal as the Giants look to extend their three-game winning streak.

But Bradberry isn’t worried about what awaits him at CenturyLink Field. In fact, he looks forward to it.

"We’re excited about the matchup, the challenge at hand," he said. "We’re looking to go out there and dominate. That’s our whole goal, to go out there and dominate."

Metcalf has done most of the dominating in his weekly matchups against some of the NFL’s finest cornerbacks. He has made it abundantly clear that the NFL scouting community got it wrong when he fell to the second round in the 2019 draft, and he already is being talked about as one of the best — if not the best — receivers in today’s game.

But Bradberry may be well suited to at least minimize the damage. He spent the previous four seasons toiling at cornerback in the NFC South, which features All-Pro-caliber receivers Julio Jones of the Falcons, Michael Thomas of the Saints and Mike Evans of the Buccaneers.

"I had to deal with a lot of big, physical receivers who could run," Bradberry said. "I would say [Metcalf] is similar to their skill set. Physical, 6-4, runs a 4.3, he can run. He’s definitely a hard matchup. Definitely a challenge for us."

Bradberry has been one of the team’s most successful additions this season. General manager Dave Gettleman, who drafted him in the second round in 2016, brought him in as a free agent from Carolina. Bradberry signed a three-year, $43.5 million deal and has proved to be worth the investment.

He has been the team’s steadiest defender, using his coverage skills to shut down most of the receivers he faces.

Bradberry dealt with a more challenging situation last week, when he had to leave the team to address a private family matter before returning to play the Bengals in Cincinnati. Judge gave Bradberry a game ball after the Giants’ 19-17 win.

"It felt good coming back and being acknowledged for taking time away having to deal with a certain issue and then coming back and performing on Sunday," said Bradberry, who declined to be specific about his personal issue. "It always feels good when your coaches show you some attention."

Bradberry was helped by watching how teammate Logan Ryan, whose wife nearly died last month from complications from an ectopic pregnancy, dealt with his personal ordeal.

"I saw the way Logan Ryan handled his situation, and we had other guys that dealt with a similar situation that I was dealing with at the time," Bradberry said. "I felt like I didn’t have an excuse to miss Sunday. I know I had to come back."

Bradberry now is focused on Metcalf and the Seahawks’ offense, but he might have more to be concerned about than just Metcalf. The Giants occasionally take a page from the Patriots’ defensive playbook by assigning their top cornerback to the opposing team’s No. 2 receiver — in this case it would be Tyler Lockett — and double-teaming the No. 1. It’s a strategy Bill Belichick perfected in New England and one the Giants might mimic — at least on certain occasions — on Sunday.

Otherwise, it will be Bradberry vs. Metcalf, straight up.

He’s ready.

"This game is all about interceptions and turnovers, however I can do that," he said. "I take pride in guarding the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver. If that becomes the case on Sunday, then I’m going to take pride in that as well."

And no fear.

Never any fear.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”