Eagles drills don't include Sam Bradford
After five months of turbulence in which the front office was turned upside down, the roster dismantled and reassembled, Chip Kelly is lifting the curtain on the 2015 Eagles and finally opening practice to the media Thursday.
After five months of turbulence in which the front office was turned upside down, the roster dismantled and reassembled, Chip Kelly is lifting the curtain on the 2015 Eagles and finally opening practice to the media Thursday.
But the star acquisition of the offseason is not expected to be on stage at the NovaCare Complex. Quarterback Sam Bradford has been limited throughout spring workouts and has not been participating in team drills during this week's organized team activities, NFL sources said.
Mark Sanchez, who re-upped with the Eagles days before the Bradford trade, has been handling quarterback duties with the first-team offense.
The Eagles probably expected as much. Bradford is only nine months removed from tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the second time in less than a year, and with the start of the season 31/2 months away, there isn't a need to rush his recovery.
Still, the Eagles and Bradford are likely eager to get the ball rolling. The 27-year-old quarterback hasn't played in an NFL regular-season game in more than 19 months and will have only five weeks of preparation in a new offense if he isn't cleared for full participation until training camp.
OTAs continue through June 11 and a three-day minicamp follows on June 16-18. The Eagles then will break until training camp opens in early August.
Bradford has been rehabbing with the Eagles' strength and conditioning staff since he arrived in the March trade that sent quarterback Nick Foles and a second-round draft pick to the Rams. He threw during individual drills when Phase 2 of spring workouts began May 4.
Bradford impressed Eagles receivers with his arm strength, but he didn't participate in practices the following week, according to league sources. It was unclear whether he suffered a setback or that a break was part of his rehabilitation.
The Eagles have declined interview requests for Bradford, but he is slated to meet with reporters after practice Thursday. Kelly will speak beforehand, about noon.
During the draft, Kelly said that Bradford's rehab was on schedule. The coach did not see him work out in person, however, and did not offer a timetable for his full return. Kelly was asked how he envisioned the offense would look with Bradford at the controls.
"We wouldn't have traded for him if we didn't think he fit in terms of what our vision is for what we're trying to do, but we still need to see him out on the field," the Eagles coach said. "We've got plenty of time."
Bradford isn't the only new Eagle who will draw attention Thursday. Kelly is a long way from filling out the lineup card for the opener in Atlanta on Sept. 14, but practice should offer the first glimpses of how new pieces such as running back DeMarco Murray, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and linebacker Kiko Alonso fit.
Alonso is also coming back from a torn ACL, so it remains to be seen how much he does at practice. The same could be said of linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in November. There are not likely to be any answers as to how defensive coordinator Bill Davis plans to use Alonso, Ryans, and Mychal Kendricks at inside linebacker.
Openings at safety, cornerback, and left guard - with Evan Mathis skipping OTAs - will be filled for the time being, but nothing is written in stone. Rookies such as wide receiver Nelson Agholor will continue to measure themselves against NFL competition.
And someone named Tim Tebow will take his first public snaps as an Eagles quarterback.
@Jeff_McLane
