Are Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles Actually Set at QB?

Chip Kelly has already proven himself to be an unorthodox head coach in the NFL, and he has not been afraid to make moves that have shocked the rest of the league.

Perhaps the most shocking trade was the one involving the quarterback position. After so many rumors that the Philadelphia Eagles would try to acquire Marcus Mariota on draft day, they traded their own QB,
Nick Foles, to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford, with several draft picks exchanging hands as well.

By sacrificing their 2016 second-round and 2015 fourth-round picks to acquire Bradford, that makes it look like he is the Eagles' quarterback through this season, and it should end any further trade conversation.

That would be the case if we were talking about any other team. When I saw the news break, however, my first thought was not that the Eagles had found their quarterback, but instead I questioned what their plan was long-term.

It was not the plan itself that changed, it was merely the pieces involved.

Sam Bradford is in the final year of his rookie contract, and while it's entirely possible that the Eagles will want to keep him for the long haul, the possibility of him being a bridge quarterback while Marcus Mariota learns under him is there, especially if the only red flag with him is the system he came out of in college.

Then again, Bradford having only one year left makes him an easy commodity to trade, especially if Philadelphia can find the right partner. The fact that Bradford had a first-round pick offer on his own is enough proof that he has buyers out there.

I'm not the only one with this thought. ESPN's Josina Anderson noted that coaches at West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White's pro day felt that the acquisition of Sam Bradford was to give the Eagles trade bait for the Titans' second overall pick.

The fact that the Titans do not seem big on either top draft prospect, based on general manager Ruston Webster's vote of confidence in Zach Mettenberger, could either mean that the Titans do in fact really like Mettenberger or do not have confidence in either draft prospect.

If it's the latter, then the Eagles offering Bradford is a lot more intriguing for them. The Titans have a lot of needs, and if the Eagles offer Bradford on top of other draft picks, allowing the Titans to grab an extra couple of players in the draft, then it's a feasible trade.

The Titans are far from the only trade possibility, especially since many of the teams with the top 11 draft picks have their starting quarterback for next season in place, and adding draft picks would be a better option for them moving forward.

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Even if the Eagles are unable to find a trade partner for Sam Bradford or find a way to trade up as draft day nears, that does not end the story of Chip Kelly and Marcus Mariota.

Just this past week, Mariota had his pro day at Oregon, which NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah noted was "underwhelming," with several underthrown passes throughout. Something as simple as that could be enough to bring Mariota's stock down. Falling all the way to pick No. 20 would be a steep drop, but crazier things have happened.

Just last year Teddy Bridgewater entered his pro day as the top quarterback prospect, but after an "average at best" pro day by him, he fell all the way to the end of the first round. If that can happen to Bridgewater, it can certainly happen to Mariota as well.

At the end of the day, it's no question that Kelly and Mariota would love to be on the same team like they were once before. It would take a lot of effort on Kelly's end for it to happen, but he's already made multiple big moves this offseason.

Is bringing in Mariota the right move for the Eagles' long-term plans? It's not easy to tell, especially since we do not fully know how his skill set will translate to the NFL.

No matter what happens in the coming weeks, all eyes will be on the Eagles come draft day, and we will all see if they are really as overtly bold as myself and others are making them out to be.