The world seems to be divided on Sam Bradford and his future in Philadelphia. Some are certain the Eagles should absolutely place a franchise tag on him whilst others seem sure that a Jared Goff or Paxton Lynch makes more sense. So, to approach this from another angle we’re going to answer the question “If not Bradford, then who?” and examine three potential free agent Quarterbacks to decide whether they would make more sense to sign than Sam Bradford.
3) Chase Daniel
The 29-year old has been a backup QB for the majority of his career bar a few exceptions but his name is the one that is popping up the most in these types of discussions. The reason for this is that he has worked under Pederson for the last three seasons so it’s a Quarterback that the Eagles Head Coach is familiar with. However from what we can understand from Pederson’s previous interviews it’s that he wants to groom a young Quarterback to one day turn him into “the guy”…making Daniel a placeholder.
Chase Daniel would be a much cheaper option than Bradford but he would also set the Eagles back much further. Sure he would likely be familiar with the scheme and the Coach but would you rather a rookie learns his craft under a former number one pick and the 2nd most accurate Quarterback in the league, or learn his craft behind a backup who’s seen less playing time than Mark Sanchez?
Verdict: We’ll stick with Sam Bradford on this one..
2) Ryan Fitzpatrick
The 10 year veteran made many fear the beard as he led his Jets to an impressive 10-6 record. A career high 31 touchdowns, 3,905 yards and just 15 Interceptions topped a huge season for Fitzpatrick which opens his market up massively. The Jets would likely be looking to re-sign Fitzpatrick but if he does slip into Free-Agency, the asking price could be just as high as Bradford’s.
Why does Bradford make more sense? He’s younger and his ceiling is still much higher. Also, having weapons such as Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker catching your passes consistently definitely played a big part in Fitzpatrick’s success…in fact 14 of his 31 touchdowns were caught by Marshall. The Eagles have a very unstable corp for the most part and other than a later blooming of Jordan Matthews, the receivers struggled endlessly, dropping over 40 passes. Would Fitzpatrick still be as dominant if his receivers weren’t as elite? And for those who are against the re-signing of Bradford due to his injury history, this year marked the third time out of ten in which Fitzpatrick had played in all 16 games.
Verdict: Sam Bradford is younger and has more room to improve..whist Fitzpatrick would be a good placeholder, his stats could be misleading. This is the first time in his 10 year career that his QBR has been over 60. Bradford also had a 5% higher completion percentage than Fitzpatrick with less weapons, two games missing and 43 dropped passes.
1) Brock Osweiler
Brock is expected to line up under center in Denver next season, but what if Manning doesn’t retire? Osweiler’s contract is set to expire and he could very easily test the waters of Free-Agency to try and earn a starting spot as opposed to damaging his career by playing one more year as a backup to a legend in decline.
In his 21 appearances, Osweiler has started a third of them, all of which came in 2015. In those seven starts, he led the Broncos to five wins, had a 62% completion rate and nine touchdowns to just five interceptions..at just 25, there would definitely be a market for Brock.
The likelihood of Osweiler becoming available is slim but should the Eagles take a chance on him? Well, it would certainly make a lot more sense than wasting a first round pick on a Quarterback who is not deserving of it. Osweiler is young enough to have a very high ceiling, mature enough to perform instantly and has been learning under one of the best Quarterbacks in history..it all comes down to how much his agent would push for.
Verdict: If it came down to an identical contract, Bradford would still be the man putting pen to paper. If Pederson is after a “filler” whilst he grooms the right Quarterback for his system, Osweiler is not that guy. Osweiler would be a franchise option whereas with the future so murky over Bradford, they could negotiate a short-term contract much easier than with a man who knows he could become the starter long-term for a team almost instantly. We’re not saying Osweiler is too good because that’s a barbaric statement on many levels..but he isn’t the Quarterback the Eagles are looking for and the contract he would demand would rival, if not outweigh what Bradford’s current value is..making Bradford the more realistic and sensible option.
For those still doubting Sam Bradford or still certain he isn’t the guy the Eagles need..I’ll raise the question once again, if not Bradford…then who?
