The idea the Philadelphia Eagles are trading up for Marcus Mariota is becoming a distant memory. Unless head coach Chip Kelly has some major, multiple-team trade up his sleeve, the Eagles will enter the 2015 season with a quarterback rotation of Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow. Kelly has insisted he is confident in the players on the roster, so if a rookie is not the target, what will the Eagles do with their first-round pick?
The contract to Tebow killed the idea of a Mariota trade. While Tebow is not guaranteed to make the final roster for the Eagles, it further cements the idea that Kelly really is not interested in trading up for Mariota. The Eagles could still negotiate a trade for Barkley who is viewed as more expendable than Sanchez. Meanwhile, Bradford will likely take the starting spot, something Kelly feels very comfortable with.
"I think Sam has an outstanding skill set as a quarterback," Kelly said, via the NFL Network. "The only knock on Sam is that he got hurt. It's not something where you can say he's brittle or this is his situation, but when you look at all the great quarterbacks...Peyton Manning has missed a year. Tom Brady has missed a year. Drew Brees has missed a year."
Instead of adding another quarterback to the roster, the Eagles will focus on making the quarterbacks that they have better. The biggest need for the Eagles outside of a secondary star and pass rusher is a wide receiver. Philadelphia let Jeremy Maclin walk away in free agency without a fight and have yet to truly replace him. Miles Austin does not count. Riley Cooper and Jordan Matthews are talents, but not enough to carry the whole offense.
According to CSNPhilly.com, the Eagles are eyeing first-round wide receivers with their draft pick. They do not draft high enough to grab a receiver like Amari Cooper or Kevin White. However, they have a great chance of landing someone like DeVante Parker who is the next best option. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Eagles also worked out players like Phillip Dorsett and Jaelen Strong. They could be around in the second round if the Eagles target another position in the first round.
