Former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford has not enjoyed what one would call a smooth career. Following Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2010, Bradford dealt with an array of injuries which led to up-and-down play. His career QBR of 40.7 would have ranked 26th last season, behind QBs such as Mark Sanchez (59.4), Ryan Fitzpatrick (56.7) and Geno Smith (44.3). But before tearing his ACL for the second time in 2013, it appeared as if Bradford had turned a corner. Through seven games, Bradford was completing a career high 60.7 percent of his passes and had strung together a 14:4 TD-to-INT ratio.
Finally healthy, Bradford has been traded from the perpetually disappointing St. Louis Rams to the Chip Kelly-led Philadelphia Eagles. It is in this new environment that ESPN Senior NFL Writer Eric Karabell believes Bradford can finally breakout.
"This is the obvious one," Karabell wrote. "Bradford has always possessed the skills to be a star, but he's had a recurring problem remaining upright. The Eagles rescued him from St. Louis, where he had neither the blocking nor the weaponry for success. Now the former first overall selection joins a loaded, smart offense. You know he could be a top-five quarterback. He has the arm and requisite mobility. This could absolutely work out great. I mean, look what Nick Foles did two seasons ago. Frankly, I'm not even looking at Bradford's Rams numbers anymore. He couldn't succeed."
Karabell may be overstating Bradford's position a bit. Thanks to last year's jettison of DeSean Jackson and this year's free agent departure of Jeremy Maclin, Philly's No. 1 receiver is second-year pro Jordan Matthews. Not exactly a proven ace in the hole.
DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles form one of the deepest and most talented stables of RBs in the NFL. But how will the running game look without All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis and longtime right guard starter Todd Herremans?
There's no denying that Kelly is an offensive maestro. But Bradford, while talented, has never been particularly adept at throwing deep. Scheme wise, the QB is in the best position of his career. But there are still a lot of question marks surrounding this team. All told, there's a very boom-or-bust feel around Bradford.
