The Philadelphia Eagles made a big splash this offseason when they traded Sam Bradford to the St. Louis Rams for Nick Foles. What can we expect out of Bradford in 2015 in the high-powered Chip Kelly offense?
When Healthy Bradford Can Be Good
Sam Bradford has rarely been healthy but when he has been under center he has played well. He last played all 16 games in 2012 and was very good, throwing for 3,702 yards along with 21 TDs and 13 interceptions. In 2013, he played in just 7 games, but did well in throwing for 1,687 yards with 14 TDs and just 4 interceptions. The ultimate question is whether or not Bradford can stay healthy. He has played just seven games the past two years and had his left ACL repaired twice.
“Look at our starting receiver last year [Jeremy Maclin], who had 85 catches,” head coach Chip Kelly said, “Look at the year he had coming off of two ACLs. Look at our center. Jason Kelce had an ACL right before I got there and had a sports hernia in the middle of last season, and still made the Pro Bowl.
“We didn’t bring Sam in to run the ball 75 times a game.”
Bradford said he nearly retired last year after suffering his second season-ending injury. However, former Oklahoma quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel talked him out of it.
“When a player goes through a big letdown, it’s natural to be down,” Heupel said. “I just tried to reach out to him and say, ‘Hey, I still see this in you as a person and a player. I think the best is yet to come for you. You’ve got to get yourself healthy and get yourself back on the field and get yourself in the right environment …'”
2015 Bradford Fantasy Football Projections with Philly
The question that you have to answer when you are drafting a quarterback in your 2015 Fantasy Football Draft is where to rank Bradford. He averaged a career high 17.1 fantasy points per game in 2013 before getting hurt. That should be the worst he does in 2015. Bradford will have far more offensive talent around him in Philadelphia than he ever had in St. Louis. He has excellent running backs to throw to in DeMarco Murray, Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews, an emerging talent in wide receiver Jordan Matthews and solid tight ends in Zach Ertz and Brent Celek.
Not to be forgotten is that Bradford will be throwing a lot more passes in the Chip Kelly offense and he will be reunited with new Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who was the Rams offensive coordinator back in 2010 when Bradford was the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Bradford should be a top 10 quarterback in 2015 if he stays healthy and could be a steal in the middle rounds of your Fantasy Football Draft.
