Eagles coach: Sam Bradford is still our starter, Carson Wentz is third string
Carson Wentz might be the No. 2 overall pick, but he's currently No. 3 on the depth chart
By
Ryan Wilson
•
2 min read
There were reports this spring that Eagles rookie first-round quarterback Carson Wentz had a better grasp of new coach Doug Pederson's offense than veteran Sam Bradford. True or not, the game plan remains the same: Bradford will start the season as the Eagles' quarterback and Wentz will learn by watching.
"I've said all along that Sam's the guy,'' Pederson said Monday, via Philly.com, following the Eagles' training camp practice. "You've got to get through four (preseason) games and a lot of preseason. But going into Sept. 11, Sam's the guy. I'll stick with that. Chase [Daniel] is our No. 2, and Carson is our No. 3.''
And before you start jumping to conclusions once the preseason starts, know this: Pederson hasn't decided how he'll split up the reps.
"I'm not officially there yet,'' the coach said. "Your first two preseason games, typically, your starters don't play a ton. You're trying to save them for that third game and then get them ready for the regular season. So we will focus on the 2s and 3s a little bit more early in camp and probably give them the bulk of the reps. And then ramp the guys up who we think are going to be the opening-day starters. We'll get them more reps towards the end of camp.''
Meanwhile, Bradford, who thought the Eagles should have notified him before they drafted Wentz, and then requested a trade, is now embracing his role as starter -- and leader.
"I think you guys expect a big rah-rah, someone who's yelling at people every play, and that's just not me," Bradford said Monday, via PhillyMag.com. "I think there's a lot of subtle things that you guys probably aren't privy to or can't hear from where you guys are at. But like I said, I just try to be myself and take control when I need to."
Bradford signed a two-year deal in March, weeks before the team drafted Wentz. But the reality is that 2016 could be Bradford's final season in Philly with Wentz waiting in the wings.
"Right now, we're just going to get Carson as many reps as we can," Pederson said. "Get him caught up. Get him to where he needs to be. I'm very comfortable and excited with where Sam left OTAs and where he's coming in now. Chase is a solid two. We'll just have to wait and see what happens down the road. ...
"You want (Wentz) to be in a position where if there's an injury or somebody goes down, you plug him in and you don't have any worries,'' Pederson said. "You're fully confident in his ability to take over. Because backup quarterbacks need to be ready to go in an instant.''
