The Philadelphia Eagles have said publicly that Sam Bradford is their starting quarterback, but that could change over the course of the summer if the early reports from training camp are any indication.
Matt Lombardo of NJ.com has observed that rookie first-round pick Carson Wentz is picking up Doug Pederson’s new offense quicker than Bradford.
“It has only been two public practices, so there can’t be enough of a sample size to make an absolute determination, but so far so good. Wentz has shown a plus-NFL arm, accuracy to make every throw on the route tree and an ability to move the pocket and buy time,” Lombardo said. “Not for nothing, but Wentz also seems to be ahead of Bradford in terms of mastering Doug Pederson’s offense.”
It is obviously very, very early to say either player has the upper hand. Chase Daniel, who is projected to be the third-string quarterback on the Eagles roster, played under Pederson in Kansas City last season and is probably further along than both Wentz and Bradford, so it doesn’t mean a whole lot.
The Eagles didn’t agree to pay Bradford $22 million guaranteed over the next two seasons to have him ride the bench. Even Pederson said he doesn’t want Bradford looking over his shoulder, but Philly’s offensive coordinator might disagree.
There’s no reason to rush Wentz, who is obviously supposed to be the quarterback of the future for the Eagles. But if he still looks better than Bradford in August, why wait? For all we know, Bradford’s agent could have really damaged the QB’s relationship with the team when he unloaded on the Eagles and demanded a trade.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
