Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins has been one of the more vocal presences on the team in recent years. During an appearance on CSN's Philly Sports Talk on Tuesday, Jenkins made his case for the Eagles to retain quarterback Sam Bradford.
"If you protect Sam and give him weapons to use, I think he can be one of those quarterbacks to win a championship," Jenkins said. From a player’s perspective, we definitely got behind Sam in that back stretch and really would like to see him back moving forward. We think he can be the leader and the quarterback that we need."
The Eagles have hit a point where a decision becomes necessary on Bradford. Tuesday marked the beginning of the two-week period where teams can apply the franchise tag to one player. If the Eagles let that period come and go, Bradford would be eligible for free agency but could still return to the Eagles on a new contract that would most likely be a long-term deal.
Jenkins' feelings toward Bradford come from the quarterback's transition through the last season. As a newcomer to the Eagles, Bradford settled into the starting job for much of the first half of the season. He probably also carried part of his injury history in his mind during that time and did go on to miss two games with a shoulder injury. But Jenkins looks at Bradford from the second half of the season and sees the Eagles future in good hands.
"He’s got new guys. Then he got hurt, and when he came back, he decided to take the team by the horns basically," Jenkins said. "He really started to be a lot more vocal, he started to break down the huddles, he started to speak to the team before every game. When he did that, he gained the trust of the teammates and he started playing better. The back half of the season, he played really well for us.
Jenkins specifically noted Bradford's confidence in addressing the team. He started the year off conducting meetings with the offense in private. By the second half of the season, he was addressing the entire locker room.
"It was clear at that moment that this was his team and he was going to take it over," Jenkins said. "Everybody needed that from him. It was that last boost that we needed. Although it didn’t necessarily translate into wins, it definitely translated into us playing with a lot more trust, playing together a lot more. It’s what you want to see out of your quarterback."
It remains to be seen whether the Eagles decide to bring Bradford back. It has been reported that they will not use the franchise tag on Bradford, which would pay out $20 million for the 2016 season to Bradford.
You can see Jenkins interview with CSN's Michael Barkann below.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
