The Philadelphia Eagles answered one of the largest questions surrounding the team earlier in the off-season when they came to terms with pending unrestricted free agent quarterback Sam Bradford on a new contract.
Bradford, now on a new two-year deal, finished the 2015 season playing fairly well. While the true level of quality behind his play and the numbers he produced is very much debatable, both head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman thought enough of the former Ram and his potential to give him at least one more opportunity to prove himself.
But just how committed will the Eagles be to Bradford in 2016?
When looking at some of the other moves the team has made, and some of the workouts they've had leading up to the draft, there's a lot that suggests the team may not be patient with Bradford if he were to go through another slow start in the coming season.
First, let's examine Bradford's own situation.
While the Eagles wanted Bradford back, it's clear that they're far from convinced that he represents any kind of long-term answer. The team only negotiated a two-year deal with the veteran, a short-term pact that the club can easily get out of after just one season. Essentially, the Bradford deal is a one-year trial with the contract's second season serving as a bit of protection for the franchise in the event that the former top pick is finally able to harness his ability.
Then there's Chase Daniel.
The Eagles went above and beyond to bring Daniel to Philadelphia, giving the former Chief a three-year deal worth $21 million with incentives that could escalate the deal to $36 million. That's a ridiculous amount of money for a backup quarterback. Pederson has stated several times that he believes Daniel can be a starter in this league, and while he's also made it clear that he was brought here to serve as a backup, its reasonable to believe that Pederson would love to give Daniel an opportunity to prove himself.
The Eagles have also been working out some of the top quarterback prospects in the draft. They've already held a workout with Jared Goff, and they're expected to do the same with Carson Wentz. While many smokescreens get thrown around by teams at this time of year, the fact that the Birds are sniffing around the elite quarterback prospects (and the potential trades it would take to move up in the draft) suggests that they don't really see Bradford as a long-term answer.
Bradford has been a quarterback that has consistently underwhelmed and disappointed throughout his career. While some hope remains that with another year to mesh with his teammates and an opportunity to work is better offensive system, he may be able to establish himself as a quality starter, the Eagles have already put another viable short-term option on the roster and may very well be preparing to draft the future of the position as well.
So with these thoughts in mind, how committed and patient will the Eagles be with Bradford this season?
Barring injury, I don't think there's any question that Bradford will open the season as the starter, but if he performs poorly during the opening weeks of the season as he did a year ago, I think there's a chance the Eagles could consider making a quarterback change a little quicker than people might think.
Keep in mind that Pederson has no reason to be married to Bradford. He wasn't the head coach that brought Sam to Philadelphia, and given that the team has not made a long-term financial commitment to him, it'd be very easy for the team to justify making a change a month into the season if things aren't going well.
The starting quarterback job is Bradford's to lose.
However, he's now entering his seventh season in the league. The time for patience, potential, and excuses is at an end. Bradford will need to produce in 2016, and he'll need to produce quickly, or else the Eagles may close the book on him for good.
Denny Basens is a contributing writer to Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @DennyBasens.
