The Eagles have question marks at quarterback and their new head coach apparently covets a signal caller who is under contract elsewhere. Doug Pederson is quite familiar with Chiefs reserve QB Chase Daniel and he told reporters today that Daniel could be a starter in the NFL, if given the right opportunity (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). As for incumbent Sam Bradford, Pederson says he believes Bradford wants to be there (link).
Here’s more on the Eagles’ QB situation and other news on Philly:
- Pederson said the Eagles have contingency plans in place in case they can’t bring Bradford back, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
- When asked about Bradford, Pederson said (Twitter link via Zach Berman of The Inquirer): “All I know is if Sam wants to be in Philadelphia, he’ll be in Philadelphia.” Pederson indicated that he would not tag Bradford in order to ensure his return to Philly and Berman believes that the coach’s implication is that it’s all up to the QB (link).
- Rookie quarterbacks in the draft won’t affect the Bradford situation, the coach told reporters (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News).
- Pederson says there “are holes” on the team’s offensive line, as John Clark of CSNPhilly tweets. He says he will look to the draft and free agency to fill those needs.
- Pederson said that he anticipates Mark Sanchez returning to the team as a backup quarterback (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Sanchez is already under contract for 2016.
I’m not sure what sort of contract Bradford could land elsewhere, but his best opportunity has to be with Philadelphia. Although it’s no longer Kelly’s offense, Bradford was pretty good in the second half of 2015, and he has a decent stable of weapons at his disposal and the roster as a whole is probably better than last year’s record reflects. It looks like a good fit for both sides.
Daniel would be a very interesting option if they opt to part with Bradford. Despite nearing 30 with scant on-field work — although his cameos in Kansas City were decent — his knowledge of Pederson’s system would make it a cost-effective move with potentially modest upside.