The Eagles traded Nick Foles and a 2nd round pick to the Rams for Sam Bradford. The Eagles have a new starting quarterback in the former first overall pick, right? Not so fast. I’ve been saying all along that Chip is all about giving himself multiple outs. We’ve seen that he had various options in mind to replace LeSean McCoy (Gore, Mathews, and Murray). By acquiring Bradford, Chip has basically given himself multiple options, or “outs” as we come closer and closer to the draft.
Option 1: Eagles Keep Bradford
Look, I’ll be the first to say, I’m not happy with Bradford as my starting quarterback heading into the 2015 season. People around the NFL seem to think that Bradford has all the potential in the world, but after 4 years of being an injury plagued, average quarterback, you are what you are. Chip sees Bradford as someone who can stand in the pocket, make quick decisions, and deliver the short/intermediate passes accurately on a regular basis.
Level of confidence in this playing out: 5/10
Option 2: Eagles Trade Bradford to Cleveland for Manziel
I hate that this is even a rumor. I can’t imagine in a million years that after shipping out McCoy and Jackson, that Kelly wants to deal with “Johnny Rehab”. Seriously, if Stephen A. Smith and the other ESPN First Take members want to yell “racist” at Chip Kelly, they’ll have plenty of ammo if this holds true. I loved Johnny Manziel in college, but he’s too small, plays too recklessly, and I just don’t trust him at this point. You can roll the dice with certain guys that have questionable backgrounds, but not when he’s the face of your franchise.
Level of confidence in this playing out: 1/10
Option 3: Eagles Trade Bradford to Cleveland for #12 Pick
If the Browns really value Bradford as much as they seem to, they’ll up the anti from the #19 pick and pony up the #12. With the #20 and the #12 pick, trading up into a position to get Marcus Mariota becomes very realistic. Kelly has said that he doesn’t want to, “mortgage the future, or trade away a whole draft,” in order to get one player. However, these are fairly loose terms and Kelly has proved that he’s got no problem lying to the fans and the press. With pick #12, pick #20, future picks and/or a player like Mychal Kendricks in order to get the man that Chip Kelly covets. It’s simple, Kelly wants Mariota and is smart enough to know that this is a quarterback driven league, if he wants to have sustained success at this level, he’s going to get the former Oregon Duck.
Level of confidence in this playing out: 9/10
I firmly believe Chip is going to do whatever it takes to get Mariota and start him right away. It’s Chip’s world people, we’re just living in it.
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