Mark Sanchez has maintained the idea that he could be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, but as minicamps kick off for the team that situation is looking less and less likely. The Eagles traded for Sam Bradford with the intentions that he would be their starting quarterback in the coming year and Sanchez is beginning to accept that his spot on the depth chart might be at No.2.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sanchez is fine with the Eagles' decision to go with Bradford under center. Since returning to the field as he continues to heal back-to-back knee injuries, Bradford has taken all of the first-team snaps, leaving Matt Barkley, Tim Tebow and Sancez to work with the second and third team offenses. Sanchez made it clear that he is healthy and only concerned with growing in the offense, not battling for the starting job.
"I feel good," Sanchez said, via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm anticipating a lot of things instead of reacting, where last year I was learning so much on the fly and trying to learn that zone read stuff and a new offense and a new language, but now I feel much more comfortable. It was a different offseason for me. I had a chance to sit back and watch those eight games and really get into what can I really fix - where did I leave some throws out there? . . . That still bothers me when I go to bed at night and wake up in the morning."
Sanchez's future is relatively secure. He signed a two-year deal in the offseason worth upwards of $16 million. Bradford is in the final year of his contract and currently fighting for a lofty extension. Sanchez might not be able to challenge the quarterback for the starting role in the short-term, but he could be a determining factor in what happens down the road. If Sanchez really does look the part of a star, Bradford might not be guaranteed to re-sign.
Several new players on the Eagles' roster are challenging veterans for the jobs. Nelson Agholor was drafted by the Eagles to help take the place of Jeremy Maclin. Early returns on the receiver have been positive and he could challenge someone like Riley Cooper for the starting job. Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles are hoping to take a few carries away from DeMarco Murray. The Eagles have a lot of pressure on them this season after the number of questionable moves the team made in the offseason. It remains to be seen how they will respond.
