The Philadelphia Eagles have Sam Bradford as the starter in training camp ahead of Mark Sanchez and moving forward Chip Kelly could look at the release or trade of Matt Barkley, as Tim Tebow has a strong chance of making the team as the third string quarterback. The offense should be deep this season with Bradford, Nelson Agholor, Jordan Matthews, Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews, Riley Cooper and Brent Celek on the roster.
Bradford was acquired for Nick Foles this offseason and he is coming in after having ACL surgery on his knee last year. Kelly reportedly did research about recurrences of ACL injuries and he felt comfortable enough to give up his starting quarterback and picks to bring in Bradford. Pro Football Talk reports that if Bradford is healthy through camp that he will open the season as the starter. Sanchez started games while Foles was injured last season and he re-signed as a free agent with the Eagles.
According to CSN Philly, Bradford said that he is feeling "better" than he was expecting and he has been able to practice in camp without any issues. The Eagles play their first preseason game on Sunday and Bradford could see some action in that game, but it likely will be very brief if he even plays. Bradford last played in any type of game last summer when he was injured in the preseason and he has not played a regular season game since 2013 with the Rams.
Bradford is reportedly talking an extension with the Eagles and there is a chance a deal could get done before the season starts. According to ESPN.com, the Eagles are talking about a short-term extension with Bradford, who is coming into the final year of his contract. Bradford has been looking good in camp workouts so far, as CSN Philly reporter Geoff Mosher writes that Bradford is "stringing together some pretty good practices."
Sanchez is comfortable with Kelly's offensive system and if Bradford is injured, he can easily step in again like he did last year. Matt Barkley was the third string quarterback last season, but he only threw one pass and his job security remains up in the air. According to Philly Voice reporter Jimmy Kempski, Barkley remains on the trade block and could be moved for a draft pick if a team makes an offer.
The Eagles signed Tim Tebow in the offseason and he is expected to make the roster as the third quarterback behind Sanchez and Bradford. Barkley has only thrown 50 passes in two seasons and according to Philly Voice, the team "intends" to keep Tebow on the final roster. Tebow gives some added value to Kelly, as he can be used on short yardage situations, as a decoy and on two-point conversions. Barkley is simply a backup quarterback and while Tebow may not be a conventional player, he is more valuable than Barkley.
