The Philadelphia Eagles have been active this offseason while signing DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell and Ryan Mathews and also trading Nick Foles for Sam Bradford, but they may not be done, as reports have many around the league thinking that the team may still look at a trade for Marcus Mariota despite Chip Kelly denying that the option is still in play.
The Eagles made a splash with Murray, plucking him from the Dallas Cowboys in free agency and they surprised many with the trade for Bradford. Kelly gave up a pick this year and a second round selection next year and that is why he claims that the team will not "mortgage the future" for Mariota. Kelly has been connected to Mariota all offseason due to the connection when the quarterback played at Oregon for the head coach.
According to Pro Football Talk, some in league circles still think that Kelly could make a move for Mariota, as he could use Bradford as a trade chip to get it done. Kelly himself put hot water on those rumors in his media session following the moves, but even if he did want to do it, he likely wouldn't have said it there anyway. ESPN's Josina Anderson reported about Kelly and Mariota, writing that "some of the coaches at the West Virginia University Pro Day" from various teams think Kelly will trade Bradford.
Anderson wrote that the coaches said they don't think Bradford is a system fit and right now that appears to be the main priority for Kelly. The team already allowed Jeremy Maclin to leave in free agency and also traded LeSean McCoy and that has led many to wonder what else Kelly could do. The Titans were mentioned as a team that could have interest in Bradford, as they also are in need of a quarterback and have the number two pick in the draft.
While the Rams and Titans could have looked at a deal for Bradford, St. Louis may not have wanted to give up a ton to get the number two pick and instead went for a QB they liked. Pro Football talk writes that trading to number two likely would have taken too much and now the Titans could potentially be an option for the Eagles if they trade Bradford.
It's shaping up like Kelly will keep Bradford after the compensation the team gave up and also after signing his college roommate to a major deal in Murray, but stranger things have happened. The Eagles come in after going 10-6 last season and missing the playoffs and now Kelly has blown things up a bit after two years of solid success. Nick Foles won 14 games over the last two seasons, but now he will be with the Rams and Kelly also has a brand new backfield with Murray and Mathews coming in for McCoy.
The Titans are coming into the season with Zach Mettenberger as their starter and with the number two pick they could look at Marcus Mariota as an option. The team may also be tempted to make a trade and if they do that, Bradford could be a target or another team looking to move up, like the Browns or New York Jets.
