OTAs brought the first Sam Bradford spotting in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform while jogging onto the field with a heavily braced knee. While are likely very eager to see what the former St. Louis Rams quarterback can bring to the table, the team also caught a first glimpse of Tim Tebow who has been out of the NFL for a year and is now back and winning over Chip Kelly. With all quarterbacks accounted for, the competition has certainly begun.
According to Kelly, the Eagles are not rushing Bradford back into practice. CNSPhilly.com first reported that Bradford has yet to do much since undergoing surgery to repair a second straight ACL tear. Bradford is throwing with receivers, but has yet to go through team drills in OTAs. Kelly is not concerned about the injury.
"He is on schedule," Kelly said, via NFL.com. "We all think there's three phases: There's medical rehab, there's performance rehab and then there's prepare to play. He's probably right at the tail end of medical rehab. He'll probably start throwing some 7-on-7 next week, but I think he's right on schedule in terms of where he is."
While Bradford continues to heal, Mark Sanchez is getting a lot of time in with the first-team offense. Sanchez told the media that he re-signed with the Eagles because he was told he stood a chance at getting the starting job. Now he has a chance to show why as Bradford sits out. Sanchez understands that everyone wants to be a starter in the NFL and his fate is really up to Kelly.
"Everybody wants to be the starter and I'm no different," Sanchez said, PhiladelphiaEagles.com. "Coach will make that determination at some point. We want everybody to be healthy. But that doesn't affect how I prepare or how I transition into this next season. All of us come into that quarterback room, walk in the huddle, you act like you're the starter."
If the decision is up to Kelly, Tim Tebow could end up making the final roster. The quarterback was a surprise signing by the Eagles as he spent all of last year as an analyst on the SEC Network. Tebow is competing with Matt Barkley for a spot on the roster and right now Kelly likes what he sees in Tebow. According to NFL.com, Barkley will be a trade target, but could simply be released considering his low-cost contract.
"All I know is that I'm enjoying this process," Tebow said, via ESPN.com. "I'm going to take it day by day and try to get better. And also enjoy the opportunities. I think sometimes when things get taken away, you don't realize how much fun it is to come out here and play this game. You can't play it forever. I'm going to enjoy it."