PHILADELPHIA – If Sam Bradford is “hot” about the Philadelphia Eagles move up in the draft for a quarterback, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday night, that is completely understandable.
Bradford just signed a two-year contract with the Eagles that pays him $35 million. That’s No. 1 quarterback money.
If the Eagles draft Carson Wentz with the No. 2 pick next week, they will be identifying Wentz as their No. 1 quarterback. Maybe not this month or this season, but he will be the quarterback they are building their team around.
But here’s the thing. Schefter’s source said Bradford was motivated by the trade: “He’s mad and wants to show everyone who’s best.”
If that’s the case then the Eagles are even smarter than they looked by making this trade. The only way Bradford can show everyone he’s better than Wentz is by playing like the No. 1 overall draft choice that he is. And if Bradford does that in 2016, Doug Pederson’s first season as head coach will be better than anticipated.
This is a fairly complicated knot to untie. Let’s start with Bradford. He said Tuesday, a day before the trade, that he didn’t pay much attention to rumors and reports about things he couldn’t control. When asked what he would like to see the Eagles do in this year’s draft, Bradford said he wanted anyone “who can help us win games.”
That is how franchise quarterbacks think. And the franchise’s responsibility is to do everything they can to surround that quarterback with enough talent to succeed. That is not a favor to the quarterback. It is the best way for the franchise to have success, which is the whole point.
Howie Roseman, the Eagles’ executive vice president of football operations, acknowledged this dynamic Wednesday. Roseman announced that Bradford remains the Eagles’ starting quarterback, regardless of the trade.
“We intend to support him,” Roseman said. “And the moves we made this offseason we believe will give us the chance to compete this season."
That sounds nice. And maybe Rueben Randle will become a favorite target for Bradford. But to truly support a quarterback, a team should do everything possible to add pieces to the team around him.
Will Bradford be better with Wentz on the sideline or with Ezekiel Elliott running the ball? With Wentz on the headset or with Ronnie Stanley protecting his blind side?
The Eagles ran into this situation before. In 2007, the Eagles traded down from the No. 26 pick in the first round to the No. 36 overall pick. They drafted quarterback Kevin Kolb to develop as a replacement for the 31-year-old Donovan McNabb.
The Dallas Cowboys took defensive end Anthony Spencer with the Eagles’ pick. Offensive tackle Joe Staley (San Francisco), guard Ben Grubbs (Baltimore), tight end Greg Olsen (Carolina) and linebacker Paul Posluszny (Buffalo) were drafted before the Eagles’ pick at No. 36. Safety Eric Weddle was taken by San Diego one pick after the Eagles took Kolb.
That group of players the Eagles could have taken went to a total of 14 Pro Bowls in the ensuing years. Some are still productive players nine years later.
Would one of them have helped the Eagles win the NFC Championship Game against Arizona after the 2008 season? Maybe. Maybe not. But any one of them definitely would have helped more than Kolb, who was standing on the sideline.
The other great example of drafting a quarterback behind an established starter is the Green Bay Packers. They selected Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick in the 2005 draft. Brett Favre was 35 at the time. He spent three more seasons with the Packers.
“Brett Favre, he didn’t think about it one bit,” said Pederson, Favre’s former backup. “And honestly, if you’re the starter, who cares? Who cares? Why are you looking over your shoulder if you’re the starter?
“And that’s the way Sam has to approach this. Even with Chase [Daniel] there. And even if we go out and draft a quarterback this year ... if you’re the guy, you’re the guy. You’re looking forward and not behind. If you’re constantly looking behind, that’s a problem.”
Pederson said that last month, long before the Eagles traded up for a quarterback. And he has a point. Favre played well enough to keep a quarterback as good as Rodgers on the sideline for three years.
But the other point is just as valid. Roddy White, Heath Miller and Logan Mankins were taken within a few picks of Rodgers. Would throwing to White or Miller, or having Mankins blocking for him, have helped Favre during his final few seasons in Breen Bay?
In 2007, Favre took the Packers to a 13-3 record and the NFC Championship Game. They lost to the New York Giants, 23-20. Would they have won if Favre had Miller at tight end instead of Donald Lee? White as a weapon along with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings?
Bradford has a right to be unhappy that the Eagles have decided to shift their focus to a new franchise quarterback. But if that unhappiness leads to Bradford playing with a chip on his shoulder, the Eagles won’t mind one bit.
