The Philadelphia Eagles have played it pretty close to the vest when it comes to quarterback Sam Bradford's looming free agency. As of now, it is unknown whether or not he'll be back with the team in 2016. However, new head coach Doug Pederson may have just tipped his hand a bit.
During a one-on-one interview with CSN Philly, Pederson was asked about the team's odds of competing immediately. In his answer, he listed the handful of steps the team needed to complete in order to do that.
"...You start just kinda filling in. A hole here, a hole there, get some depth here, you know, get a young quarterback, possibly. Then you just start developing your talent and you see what happens after that."
We can't take Pederson's mention of a QB in passing as gospel, but it's still worth noting. Considering the lack of confidence Bradford has inspired, it's not out of the question to presume that the Eagles are interested in this year's crop of QB prospects. That's not to say that the team will allow Bradford to leave in free agency without a fight, but it might be indicative of their long-term view of the position.
Philly holds the No. 13 overall pick in this year's draft, which hurts their chances of grabbing Cal's Jared Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, the top two quarterback prospects on most analyst's boards. Both are expected to be off the board within the first 10 picks.
However, the Eagles do pick before the QB-starved Los Angeles Rams, and Memphis signal-caller Paxton Lynch is a possibility there. Overall, Philly's chances of grabbing a young passer depend most on what the San Francisco 49ers, Dan Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys do with their selections. As always, there are a handful of teams looking for young options under center.
Some second-round options that the Eagles may want to consider include Michigan State's Connor Cook and Penn State's Christian Hackenberg.
