Why the Eagles Should Move on from Sam Bradford
After one season it is hard to judge a quarterback coming off of two ACL injuries. The latest rumors are that Bradford is asking between $18-20 million a year. A quarterback threw 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season isn’t worth that kind of money. He has also not had a winning season ever in his NFL career. Would you really trust a player who has never had a winning season and has a history of injuries to become the franchise player at arguably the most important position on the field? The answer to that question is no. Sam Bradford is average and he hasn’t had a great season since 2008 when he won the Heisman, broke the Oklahoma school record for most passing yards in a single game and led Oklahoma to the National Championship game. Unless the Eagles can either sign him to a short-term deal or tag him and trade him, they should move on from Bradford. The Eagles will not be Super Bowl ready in just one season under Doug Pederson, therefore they should treat this offseason as a rebuilding period. Sure, they may win the division and make the playoffs but they won’t be ready to make a deep playoff run.
The key question is this – if not Bradford, who should be the starting quarterback of the Eagles? Mark Sanchez is a viable option; yes he is an interception machine, but he is also under-contract this season, so the Eagles wouldn’t have to give up any extra money for him to do that. Another option is Chase Daniels who is the back up under Alex Smith and he is already used to working under Doug Pederson. Sure these aren’t great options for the Eagles but they should be preparing for the next 2-3 years to make a deep playoff run and shouldn’t rush into any decisions and feel like they need to be Super Bowl ready this season. Keep in mind that in Andy Reid’s first season as head coach, they took Donovan McNabb with the number overall pick. He only started 6 games that season the rest were played by Doug Pederson. The Eagles went 5-11 in Andy Reid’s first year. The following year in 2000 the Eagles went 11-5 and won their first playoff game since 1995 against Tampa Bay.
If the Eagles want success in 2 to 3 years they should draft a quarterback or two this year, and allow them to learn the new system and get used to the speed of the NFL. Then if they are ready possibly start some games later in the system, but they should not draft a quarterback and expect them to be ready game one of the regular season. Some draft options at quarterback with the Eagles with the 13th overall pick are Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook. Yes, the Eagles have other needs other than quarterback, but in my opinion quarterback is the most important position on the field and is the one player who can have the most impact on an entire game and the Eagles should treat the position as such. The Eagles drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1999 draft and they haven’t even drafted a quarterback since 2013 with Matt Barkley. The key for success for the Eagles is to think about the next 2 to 3 years and not about the present season. If the Eagles have any doubt in their mind about Bradford they should move on from him.
Photo: Rich Schultz-Getty Images
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Categorized:Eagles