This offseason was dominated by moves made by Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles, and one of the head scratchers was trading quarterback Nick Foles and a 2016 second round pick for Sam Bradford.
While Bradford was once a high-upside No. 1 overall pick, his NFL career has been plagued by injuries. He's never finished with a record better than .500 since being taken first in 2009, and has played in seven games since 2013. His best career completion percentage is 60.7.
Bradford also missed all of 2014 with his second straight torn ACL. According to reports, the ACL is healing slowly and he isn't particularly close to getting back on the field. During OTAs Bradford has been a "limited participant" able to throw but not take part in team drills.
With Bradford unable to participate, Mark Sanchez is taking the first-team reps and could conceivably open the season as the starting quarterback. In 2014 Sanchez started eight games and threw 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He was at the helm during a late-season skid of three games that cost Philadelphia their playoff berth, and was picked off on nearly four percent of his pass attempts.
Kelly said that Bradford is on schedule, and it's possible he will be ready for 7-on-7 drills next week. Even if Bradford does return before or during training camp, the starting job isn't his to lose. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles are having an open competition between Bradford and Sanchez for the starting job.
Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow are also in the mix at quarterback, but should be considered major underdogs to be starting. Those two are likely competing for the No. 3 spot on the roster, with the loser of that competition likely to be cut.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
