Reports emerged on Wednesday regarding a couple of players the Philadelphia Eagles will be relying on heavily to make impact with the team next season.
First, it was reported by Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com that quarterback Sam Bradford, acquired by the Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly at the outset of the new league year in exchange for Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round pick, should be full-go by the time training camp rolls around next month.
"According to a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity, Bradford is 'looking great,' has been in the rehab room close to every day this summer, and should be ready to go when training camp opens," Shorr reports.
Bradford's status is of the utmost importance for an Eagles team that has undergone serious changes this offseason and is looking for a return to the playoffs under Kelly after missing out last season. Both of Bradford's last two seasons have been ended prematurely by ACL tears - if he can stay healthy, the cost to acquire him and his current salary - over $12 million - likely means that he's slated for starting duties next season.
Mark Sanchez will likely have something to say about that in training camp, but the scales will be weighted in Bradford's favor.
Elsewhere on the Eagles roster, last year's first-round pick linebacker Marcus Smith took a bit of a hit on Wednesday as former NFL player and current league analyst Brian Baldinger laid into the young 'backer while appearing on CSN Philly's Breakfast on Broad early in the day.
"Those guys are violent people," Baldinger said. "I don't see the violence involved in the way that Marcus Smith is made up for him to be a really good player or at least worth of being a first-round draft pick."
Baldinger, who played in the league for 12 seasons, went on to say that he doesn't believe Smith, a former quarterback, "has the necessary wiring to be an outside linebacker" in the NFL. While Smith's former college coach, Charlie Strong, indicated recently that Eagles fans will see a "different Marcus Smith this year," Baldinger disagreed.
"I wouldn't agree with Charlie at all," the NFL Network analyst said. "I didn't see any fire at all."
Smith was a surprise choice for Philly at the 26th spot in the first-round of the 2014 NFL Draft. While he was highly productive in college at Louisville, Smith entered the NFL to questions about his pass-rush and ability to provide high-level impact. In short, some viewed him as "just a guy."
In eight games for Philly last season, Smith seemed to live up - or down - to that billing, amassing zero stats.
With Trent Cole jettisoned this offseason as part of Kelly's roster makeover and Brandon Graham now ascending from the main back-up role to the starting gig across from versatile Pro Bowler Connor Barwin, Smith is in line for significant snaps as the presumed No. 3 outside linebacker on the Eagles roster.
If he's unable to beat out the likes of Travis Long and Brian Braman for whatever snaps remain after Graham and Barwin have had their fill, his time as an Eagle and his life in the NFL could prove to be short-lived.
