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Sam Bradford Injury Update: QB Ruled Out for Week 11, Mark Sanchez Will Start
November 20, 2015
Due to injuries, the Sam Bradford experiment in Philadelphia will give way to a second chance for Mark Sanchez in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to the Eagles' official Twitter account, Bradford was officially ruled out Friday for the game Sunday, as he is dealing with a concussion and a left shoulder injury. His absence will give Sanchez an opportunity to start, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Even though Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has stuck with Bradford under center all year, the former Heisman Trophy winner has struggled mightily in 2015, as noted by RJ Bell of Pregame.com:
If it's any consolation, former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has actually been worse than Bradford in 2015.
The Eagles acquired Bradford and a 2015 fifth-round pick from the St. Louis Rams over the spring in exchange for Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round selection. He was instantly tabbed as the team's starter despite being engaged in rehabilitation from a second ACL tear.
The former No. 1 overall pick drew praise for his preseason performance, but the regular season has proved to be an entirely different beast.
Philadelphia is off to a 4-5 start, and Bradford has just 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, though he performed better the last two weeks, throwing for 531 yards and two touchdowns with no picks.
Now, it's Sanchez's turn to try to help the Eagles' 14th-ranked scoring offense rediscover its efficient identity.
Last season, Sanchez started eight games in place of the injured Foles, and he acquitted himself well by completing a career-high 64.1 percent of his passes. He also threw 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Eagles posted a 4-4 record under his leadership.
Sanchez may not be able to cure all of the Eagles' woes, but a fresh face certainly cannot hurt at this point. The seventh-year veteran already has a season in Kelly's system under his belt, and his experience could be the calming factor the Eagles need to regain some semblance of vintage form.
Meanwhile, the Eagles will have to ponder Bradford's future in the City of Brotherly Love. The injury-plagued signal-caller is in the final year of his deal, and the team parted with several valuable assets to acquire him.
The Eagles could cut their losses once the season's over and admit 2015 was a failed experiment, but doing so would facilitate the beginning of a painstaking process to find the franchise's quarterback of the future.