Philadelphia Eagles Have Precious Little Time Left to Evaluate Sam Bradford

Let's not pretend there wasn't any curiosity as to whether the Philadelphia Eagles might be better off with Mark Sanchez at quarterback rather than Sam Bradford. Thanks to Bradford's injuries, Sanchez got just that opportunity, and responded by doing what Mark Sanchez does—throw interceptions.

At this point, Sanchez is a known quantity. In addition to 68 career starts in the regular season and playoffs with the New York Jets, the seven-year veteran now has nine starts and 11 games under his belt over two seasons in Philadelphia. Ladies and gentlemen, what you see is what you get.

It's time to stop messing around with Sanchez, just as soon as Bradford gets healthy. That could be this week, maybe it's the next. Regardless, even if you don't like what you've seen out Bradford up to this point, the Eagles have precious little time remaining to evaluate him.

YR	GMS	CMP%	YDS/ATT	YDS/GM	TD%	INT%	RATING
2015 (PHI)	9	63.9	6.9	255.2	3.3	3.0	79.3
2010-13 (STL)	49	58.6	6.3	225.8	3.4	2.2	82.4

Bradford is set to become a free agent at season's end, and while many are already of the opinion the Eagles should move on, it's not as if finding a franchise quarterback is easy. Not only that, the organization gave up a second-round pick in the trade that plucked Bradford away from the St. Louis Rams, so the Eagles owe it to themselves to make sure they know what they have.

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It's difficult to conclude much from Bradford's nine starts this season. The numbers may look bad, but statistics are useless without context.

To begin with, Bradford had to learn a new offense while coming off of back-to-back season-ending ACL surgeries. He wasn't able to participate fully in practices until training camp opened, and didn't get much work in the preseason. By the time Week 1 rolled around, nearly two calendar years had elapsed since Bradford played in a meaningful NFL game.

Anybody could tell Bradford wasn't fully ingrained in the offense. Anybody could tell he wasn't immediately used to the speed of the game. Anybody could assume he didn't fully trust his surgically repaired knee.

Bradford struggled mightily for most of the first two games. However, since about Week 3, he's actually played fairly well, and was only improving before going down with an injury.

GM	CMP%	YDS/ATT	TD/INT	RATING
W @ NYJ	50.0	4.2	1/0	73.2
L @ WAS	53.6	9.6	3/0	122.6
W v NO	71.1	7.4	2/2	88.5
W v NYG	63.2	7.4	1/3	61.3
L @ CAR	56.5	4.5	0/1	58.7
W @ DAL	69.4	8.2	1/0	103.4
L v MIA	76.0	9.4	1/0	118.1

If you go game-by-game, only Bradford's three-interception performance against the New York Giants was awful. Two others look bad from a statistical standpoint. Yet if Darren Sproles catches a would-be 78-yard wheel against the Jets, Bradford's yards per catch and rating spike from 4.2 and 73.2 to 7.0 and 99.7—a quality line against a tough D. And if the Eagles don't drop eight balls against the Carolina Panthers, he probably completes a heck of a lot better than 56.5 percent of passes for 4.5 yards per attempt, too.

It just goes to show how heavily influenced Bradford's numbers have been by the talent around him. In his last seven starts, the Eagles had 22 dropped passes, according to Pro Football Focus. In all three of the team's last three losses with Bradford, he was sacked at least four times—likely no coincidence.

Bradford's receivers fail to get separation and have been unreliable. The protection has been inconsistent, and the ground attack hasn't always been there to keep the pressure off. The offensive issues as a whole constantly have the Eagles backed up in difficult 3rd-and-longs.

No quarterback would thrive under these circumstances, yet in Bradford's final two starts, he was showing signs of progress. Against the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, the sixth-year veteran completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 531 yards—a hearty 8.7-yard average—with two touchdowns and no interceptions. That's good for a rating of 109.3.

Just from looking at Bradford, you can tell he's got a better command of the offense. He has more poise in the pocket. He's making better decisions with the football. He trusts his knee again.

Bradford is beginning to exhibit some of the signs that made him the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010. The Eagles need to see if he can continue to develop.

Much like Sanchez, Bradford has had a penchant for throwing interceptions this season with nine already. However, unlike Sanchez, historically that hasn't been an issue for Bradford, so it's reasonable to assume it could stop.

Including playoffs, Bradford has also played in 21 fewer NFL games than Sanchez, and never in an offense even with as much talent as the Eagles, which is saying something. He deserves a shot to retake the reins.

No doubt, Bradford will get the opportunity just as soon as he's ready. The Eagles know how important a decision they have to make, and need all the tape on Bradford they can get before making it. If the 2015 season is about nothing else for this organization, it's about that.