Sam Bradford’s stalemate with the Eagles ended Monday when the disgruntled quarterback reported to the team’s offseason program after skipping the last two weeks.
Bradford was unhappy after the team’s trade for the No. 2 overall pick to draft Carson Wentz. He skipped voluntary workouts and wanted to be traded. The Eagles have said they want and expect Bradford to remain in Philadelphia, and with no apparent alternative, Bradford returned to the team.
“I’m excited to be back on the field today with my teammates and coaches,” Bradford said in a statement through his agency. “The business side of football is sometimes a necessary consideration. My attention and efforts are focused on the participation in and preparation for a championship season: I am committed to my teammates and the Eagles organization for nothing less.”
Bradford’s absence received considerable attention, but he did not miss any significant work. Players can meet with coaches, do strength-and-conditioning training, and position-specific drills. But he has not missed full-team practices. Bradford was present for the voluntary minicamp during the week before the draft, and the next full-team, 11-on-11 practices do not begin until next week.
The Eagles have organized team activities May 17-19, May 24-26, and May 31-June 3. There is a mandatory minicamp from June 7-9. Bradford’s participation would put him further ahead than a year ago when he was only a partial participant during spring workouts while recovering from knee surgery.
Bradford’s arrival also means he’s in the NovaCare Complex before Wentz arrives for rookie camp this week. By next week’s OTAs, the Eagles will have Bradford, Wentz, and Chase Daniel all taking snaps. Coach Doug Pederson has said that Bradford would be the starting quarterback this season, although a prolonged absence could have complicated the team’s stance.
“I think it depends on how and when he does come back and how fast we can catch him up and put him back in that situation and see where he’s at, at that time,” Pederson said after the draft. “Again, nobody makes the team in April. We’re not making any roster adjustments and letting people go. It’s all about evaluation, and he’s in that evaluation process. But as I’ve said in the past, he was one and Chase is two and we’re moving on from there.”
Bradford’s reputation has likely taken a hit among Eagles fans, who have little sympathy for a quarterback who has never made the playoffs raising a fuss in the first year of a two-year, $36 million deal. But Bradford maintains allies in the locker room, and fence mending might not be as much of a challenge with teammates as it would seem.
“I think they’ll be excited to have him back,” defensive end Connor Barwin told WIP-FM (94.1) on Monday morning. “At the end of the day, all that we really care about in the locker room is who is the best quarterback, who’s going to help us win games. Right now, we’re excited. We know we drafted Carson Wentz, but I think most of this locker room, or all of us, understand that Sam is our starting quarterback, and he’s going to be the best quarterback to help us win next year. So we’re excited to have him back.”
The first step was getting him back. Whatever chance Bradford had of forcing a trade appeared to diminish after the draft. Now that he’s with the team, a spring, summer, and maybe even an autumn of quarterback intrigue awaits.
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