Sam Bradford may not be unquestioned starter for Philadelphia Eagles
Sam Bradford may be the favorite to start at QB for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the job is not guaranteed to be his.
Earlier this off-season, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Peterson said that incumbent Sam Bradford would be the team’s starting quarterback in 2016. However, as OTAs are here, Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich disagrees.
When asked on local radio station 94WIP if Bradford is the clear number one quarterback, Reich answered truthfully.
“No, that’s probably not the right impression,” Reich said. “You’ve got to establish is a culture of competition,” he continued. “This is one of the most competitive industries in the world and so, to say that there’s not competition, that’s just the furthest thing from the truth.”
Bradford is extremely likely to be the leader in the clubhouse at the position, but Reich appears to believe that a competition is in order.
Along with re-signing Bradford this off season, the Eagles also brought in free agent quarterback Chase Daniel and traded up to take Carson Wentz as the quarterback of the future. While the Eagles seem intent on keeping Wentz on the bench as a rookie, if he came in and was the clear best player at the position, why wouldn’t they give him a chance to prove himself as a rookie?
The same can be said for Daniel. I understand that he is a career backup who has little NFL game experience, but Daniel has some upside, and it is not like Bradford has been an elite option for the Eagles at the position. Daniel deserves a full chance to compete for the job in training camp.
I do not know if there is any sort of disconnect between the head coach and offensive coordinator here, but I think that Reich is the guy on the right page. If Bradford comes in and cements himself as the starting quarterback, great. But what does a little competition in the meantime hurt?
In reality, it probably does not matter much. The Eagles are unlikely to be super competitive this season regardless of who is under center, and it will clearly be Wentz’s job to lose next year and going forward.
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