Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has already said this offseason that Sam Bradford is his “guy” and that he doesn’t want the veteran quarterback worrying about losing his starting job. Eagles executive Howie Roseman said essentially the same thing, but there is one member of the organization who believes Bradford should avoid getting too comfortable.
In an appearance on the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday, Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich said the notion that Bradford has already been named the team’s starting quarterback is “the furthest thing from the truth.”
“No, that’s probably not the right impression,” Reich said. “I’ve been around this business a long time as a player and as a coach, and one of the things I’ve really come to appreciate is it’s not a contradiction to say you’ve got to have order. Because if you don’t have order it’s chaos. So, if you’re the head coach you gotta come in and you’ve gotta establish order. There has to be organization, there has to be order, but the other thing that — as coaches — that you’ve got to establish is a culture of competition. 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.”
The Eagles are paying Bradford $18 million this season, so he has a clear advantage over Chase Daniel, who was with Pederson in Kansas City last season, and No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz. Reich is probably just doing his job by making sure every quarterback on the roster treats training camp like he has a shot to be the starter.
Bradford demanded a trade a few weeks back because he sees no long-term future for himself in Philly. That led to him being blasted by people like Michael Bennett, who had some extremely strong words for Bradford.
In the short-term, having Bradford start while Wentz develops is probably the best move for the Eagles. But if Bradford struggles and Wentz lights it up in training camp, things could change in a hurry.
