The Philadelphia Eagles officially introduced Doug Pederson as their next head coach and he got right to work laying out the priorities of the team. Many believe the Eagles are in for a rebuilding offseason, but Pederson is not ready to use that term just yet as the knows the top priority this offseason is to secure a quarterback for the future. While it is up for debate whether or not Sam Bradford is the best option, Pederson believes he could be successful.
Bradford is set to hit the free agent market after being a trade last March from the St. Louis Rams. Bradford did ok in under Chip Kelly, but not great. After back-to-back ACL surgeries, he proved he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he has a long ways to go. According to MMQB.com's Peter King, Bradford is looking to cash in with his contract this offseason and it remains to be seen if the Eagles will offer him the right deal. Pederson believes he could be the best quarterback for the system.
"I think Sam's a quality quarterback," Pederson said, via ESPN.com. "I think he's a top-notch quarterback. Look what he did that last half of the season, the numbers he was able to put up. As a quarterback, he would fit perfectly with a system that I'm going to bring."
Bradford openly endorsed offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur for the head coaching job of the Eagles, so it is unclear what his thoughts on Pederson are. Coaching and fit will be brought into consideration when Bradford thinks about where to sign. In terms of available quarterbacks, he is the best option for Philadelphia. The Eagles could use the franchise tag on Bradford which would cost $20 million in 2016. If they let him walk, the team would likely draft a quarterback in the first round with players like Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch and Carson Wentz all likely to go in the first round. Pederson still believes Bradford might be the best option.
"Sam brings a whole skill set that benefits him," Pederson said, via ESPN.com. "It is a pass-friendly system, but it is not so much a vertical system as people think. Today's game has changed offensively. You're seeing more spread-style offenses, more of the run/pass options that quarterbacks have at the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks today have the ability to think with their brain, and I want to tap into that, too."
Players like Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz have made it clear that they want Bradford back. The Eagles could return with most of their offense intact minus maybe Riley Cooper and Darren Sproles. Pederson might be able to make better use of the cast than Kelly did which could be enticing for Bradford.
