The Eagles suffered a huge loss with the season-ending ACL injury to MLB Stewart Bradley, who appeared primed to have a big season after a strong starting debut in 2008. But fear not, Eagles fans. The team has some options to fill Bradley’s spot and shouldn’t take a huge dip in the defensive rankings as a result of his absence.

The PFW spin

PFW took a little grief from some sources when it chose Bradley as the team’s defensive MVP in its preseason preview magazine this summer. But talk to the defensive coaches, as we did this offseason, and they’ll tell you that Bradley was a crucial element to the Eagles’ vastly improved defensive rankings — especially vs. the run — last season. For most of ’08, Bradley and the run defense were excellent, with a few exceptions.

Bradley has a big frame and could play downhill and in reverse. He read keys very well for a young player and had the size to lock horns with pulling linemen. Bradley attacked the edges well, too, with little wasted movement. He still has a chance, starting next season, to be one of the best “Mike” linebackers ever in Philadelphia, better than Jeremiah Trotter and others.

But for now, the position will be manned by others. And though Omar Gaither has starting experience at the position from 2007 (when he was backed up by Bradley, then a rookie), we hear it’s a great chance for Joe Mays to win the position outright. Mays, a sixth-round pick in ’08, spent the majority of his rookie season on the bench and in meeting rooms learning from the veterans. In two games of action, he amassed zero tackles.

Despite the lack of work, head coach Andy Reid and the other defensive coaches have seen something intriguing in Mays and thought about ways to utilize him in some form — primarily on special teams — even before Bradley went down. And now he has a real chance to beat out Gaither for the starting spot.

Mays is your classic thumper, a 5-11, 246-pound square block who can fill lanes and stone running backs in the hole. His lateral movement will have to be tested, and you can be sure that if he wins the job, teams will be likely to use play-action passing to test his awareness of formations, keys and reads. But Reid appears to like what he has in this self-made player, who is a much harder hitter and even a better athlete than Gaither.

One of the reasons that Mays got the first-team reps ahead of Gaither in the team’s first practice following Bradley’s injury is that the Eagles must find out if Mays can play. The coaches clearly are testing him early. If he passes and shows he can diagnose and cover well, he’ll have the starting role. That likely will pencil him in for the first- and second-down reps, with Gaither and Akeem Jordan the primary nickel linebackers. Bradley’s versatility and athleticism allowed him to stay on the field in those situations, but Mays’ limitations likely will restrict him to a run-stopping role primarily.

But it’s a crucial element of the Jim Johnson defense now run by protégé Sean McDermott. This is the young coordinator’s first major test, and it comes less than two weeks after he took the job. It probably limits him in a few blitz packages — Bradley was emerging as very capable in that role last season, and he also showed he can cover backs in man coverage — but it might not be a huge blow if Mays shows he can play. If not, the Eagles might have to look outside the NovaCare Center for more LB help. They signed Matt Wilhelm, who has played inside in a 3-4 defense in San Diego, but Reid said Wednesday that he wants to give Mays and Gaither the first crack to fill Bradley's spot.

The other factor that can't be overlooked is the loss of leadership. The defensive coaches identified Bradley and Quintin Mikell as the two players who most filled the void of Brian Dawkins this offseason through workouts and team sessions. Now that role falls on Mikell's head, and someone else must step up in the leadership department.

Kickoff is coming! Be sure to buy copies of the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports 2009 NFL preview magazine, as well as the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Guide 2009, both of which are now available at bookstores, newsstands and retail outlets where magazines are sold. Or order your copies online at PFWStore.com .