James Bradberry opens up about Deebo Samuel calling him 'trash'

We can only hope the war of words gets a little more enticing between now and Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deebo Samuel (L) versus Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry (R)
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deebo Samuel (L) versus Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry (R) / Tim Nwachukwu/GettyImages
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Eagles cornerback James Bradberry finally spoke on 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel's comments about being a 'trash' defender.

The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for the biggest game of the season to date, a Week 13 showdown against the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles, the same team that ousted them from the NFC Championship game last January.

Since then, plenty of verbal jabs have gone back and forth, and both sides will likely point at the other for not piping down about it all. From Niners wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk saying he was "not too sure" about Philly having a good defense to Eagles edge Haason Reddick barking at San Francisco and saying, "Talk is cheap."

For the most part , though, conversations about smack-talk have centered around All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who hasn't held back when conversing about Philadelphia and even singled out one player in particular.

Eagles cornerback James Bradberry.

Last offseason, Samuel appeared on the I Am Athlete Podcast, and while he praised fellow corner Darius Slay, the wide back threw shade at Bradberry and openly called him "trash."

Earlier this week, Samuel doubled down on those comments and declared, "I don't regret nothing I said."

Bradberry finally answered back.

James Bradberry has blunt reponse to Deebo Samuel's comments

Bradberry didn't say much of anything in response to Samuel, at least initially. But, with the Niners and Eagles ready to square off against each other this Sunday, it was only a matter of time before a reporter pressed him about it.

As shared by Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP radio (h/t 49ers Webzone), Bradberry offered a pretty low-key response and instead wanted to focus on the game at hand:

"I just focus one day at a time," Bradberry said after a bit of laughter. "Of course, I don't necessarily like what he said. I wish you to use a better word to describe my play, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can do is control my work ethic and what I do."

That might not get the rivalry juices flowing, though.

However, Bradberry can count upon one of his teammates, wide receiver A.J. Brown, to stir the pot a bit. Earlier this week, Brown called upon Eagles fans to troll Samuel, although the San Francisco standout later clarified that it was "all fun and games."

What's with the too-friendly responses to the smack-talk?

Bradberry and Samuel both agreed upon one thing, though: Sunday's game between the two teams was going to be an exciting one between two top contenders.

"They're a great team, so it's going to be a big challenge for us," Bradberry concluded.

The Niners and Eagles kick off on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 4:25 p.m. ET.

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