The Philadelphia Eagles held Sam Bradford out for the first preseason game, but the quarterback has been strong in camp practices and he is firmly the starter over Mark Sanchez, while Tim Tebow and Matt Barkley are competing for the third string backup and this comes as Nelson Agholor and Jordan Matthews are expected to start with Demarco Murray on offense for Chip Kelly.
The Eagles have made a number of changes this offseason to the roster and Bradford is coming in after not playing in an NFL game since 2013. Bradford had multiple ACL surgeries and now he is trying to stay healthy for a full season for the first time since 2012. According to Pro Football Talk, Bradford has been strong in practice all summer for the Eagles in camp and while he has not moved around much, Bradford said his knee has given him "no issues" over the first couple weeks.
Bleeding Green Nation wrote about practice on Tuesday and that Bradford had another strong outing, throwing accurate balls and also rolling out with comfort. Bradford was able to move to his right and his left without issues and he connected with Josh Huff and Miles Austin for touchdowns in practice. The practice coming up is another big test for Bradford, as the Eagles are practicing with the Ravens ahead of their preseason game this week.
NJ.com writes that Bradford has looked "sensational" in camp so far, but that he has not played against real competition in quite some time. Bradford will line up against the Ravens in practice and Kelly will be watching to see how he performs. The first preseason game saw Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow play with Bradford sidelined and Barkley ended up being the most impressive of the group. While one game doesn't mean Barkley will win the third string job, it shows that Tebow has some work to do before making it all the way back as an NFL QB.
Barkley has been mentioned as a trade target this offseason and there is a chance that the loser of the competition between Barkley and Tebow will not make the team. Tebow completed half of his passes and had a rushing TD in the preseason game against the Colts, while Barkley went 12-of-20 for 192 yards and an interception. Barkley looked more comfortable and the decision could come down to whether Kelly wants to use Tebow as a decoy/gadget player this season.
The WR position should be deep even with Jeremy Maclin gone, as Jordan Matthews is coming back after a strong rookie season and the team added Nelson Agholor in the draft. Agholor reportedly will have the chance to start with Matthews this season, according to NJ.com, Huff has been strong in practices and Riley Cooper likely will slot in as the number three wideout for Bradford. DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews will be the main backs ahead of Darren Sproles, who Kelly has said could see some time split out at wide receiver this season.