Philadelphia Eagles’ Sam Bradford Could Prove Chip Kelly Wasn’t Crazy After All

Chip Kelly made a ton of questionable decisions this offseason that had many NFL pundits crying foul. One of those was trading for often injured Sam Bradford.

But following the Eagles 40-17 preseason win over the Ravens Saturday, the Philadelphia Eagles offense looked sharp and Bradford sustained not one, but two shots to his injured knee and came away unscathed. If Sam can remain healthy throughout the season, he may just prove Chip Kelly knew more of what he was doing than people gave him credit for.

Of course, that’s a big if.

And as reported by NJ, Bradford’s comeback almost ended when Terrell Suggs took a cheap shot aimed at Bradford’s creaky knees in the first quarter.

“I’m pretty sure he planned it. We practiced against them all week, and I’m pretty sure he was thinking about it,” Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters said Saturday following his team’s 40-17 win over the Ravens. “It was a cheap shot at the quarterback.”

Peters continued to lay it on Suggs for his reckless behavior.

“I think he is that kind of player — dirty, and takes shots at quarterbacks.”

With the Eagles breathing a sigh of relief that their starting quarterback came away healthy, it’s safe to resume analyzing the rest of Chip Kelly’s offseason moves.

Aside from just adding Sam Bradford, Kelly beefed up the Philadelphia secondary with the additions of free agents Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell. According to Bleacher Report, that tandem, plus new cornerback Nolan Carroll, could leave the Eagles with a defense to be reckoned with.

“Just ask Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who was victimized by the Eagles secondary in Saturday’s preseason clash. Flacco completed just three of seven pass attempts for a whopping 23 yards—a 3.3 average—and, most notably, two interceptions.”

Another key move that was blasted around the league was when the Eagles dealt Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo in exchange for Kiko Alonso, who was hurt all last year. But fast forward to the preseason and McCoy appears to be the one who is injured now, heading into the season.

According to 247Sports, the Bills are “cautiously optimistic” but not 100 percent certain LeSean will be ready week one because of an injury to his hamstring suffered in practice. McCoy’s replacements meanwhile, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews, each scored a touchdown in the Eagles 40-17 win over the Ravens.

And finally, the most controversial move of them all, recruiting Tim Tebow to try out for the backup quarterback role could give Chip Kelly an advantage under the new extra point scoring rules. Tebow’s versatility, alongside Bradford’s accuracy, could make Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles the most potent offensive in the league and return the team to the playoffs yet again.

And if that happens, Chip Kelly won’t be thought of as crazy any longer.

[Photo credit: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images]