“Rest in Peace:” JJ Watt & NFL World Mourns Tragic Passing of Ex-Eagles LB Bryan Braman, Who Died of Cancer

He was called an “athletic freak,” the kind of player who made coaches pause and say, “Did you just see that?” Bryan Braman could leap, hit, and move like he was carved from chaos. Coaches marveled at his “breathtaking, jaw-dropping ability” to blow past blockers, a raw gift engineered for impact. But behind the jaw-dropping physicality was a storm far less visible. He wasn’t just fighting for football glory—he was surviving. His mentality wasn’t forged in weight rooms or locker rooms. It came from sleeping in cars, dodging the traps of a broken upbringing, and refusing to surrender it.

Bryan grew up in Spokane’s poorest pocket, Hillyard—father abandoned his family, money was short, hope even shorter. He bounced between motels and couches with his mother and sister, sometimes calling the backseat of a car “home.” At Shadle Park High, he was one of nearly 100 homeless students. But even when he had no bed, he showed up. Hustling. Grinding. A counselor named Anthony “Juju” Predisik spotted his talent—and the burden. “It was himself that was going to hold him back from the opportunities he had and break away from the negatives he had to deal with and pursue the future,” Predisik said.

With Juju’s guidance came a new kind of discipling—mental armor Braman wore as fiercely as shoulder pads. Motivated by “Jujuisms” like “Nothing can affect your state of mind unless you give it permission, and there’s nothing more powerful than a made-up mind,” he clawed his way from junior college to the NFL. He became a Super Bowl champion with the Eagles, a fan favorite, and a father of two. But in 2025, Braman faced a final fight, this time against cancer.

Despite every ounce of defiance in his spirit, the disease won. He passed away this week at 38. Upon finding the news, his friend and former teammate, JJ Watt, broke down in disbelief and paid tribute to his ex-teammate. “Rest in Peace brother,” Watt shared on his social media. “Gone far too soon. .” Watt and Braman shared the locker room and field on the Texans‘ defensive line, when Braman became a fan favorite on the Texans’ special teams unit during the 2011 season.

Rest in Peace brother.

Gone far too soon.

pic.twitter.com/bJfEPMPCAc

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 17, 2025

This year, when the word broke that Braman was battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, JJ Watt raised the largest donation at $10,000 to help pay for his medical expenses. However, on July 17, it was reported that Braman is no more with us.

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