Sam Bradford was spotted throwing passes inside the Eagles practice facility, which constitutes a big step in the quarterback’s recovery from his injury to his non-throwing shoulder.
Video of Sam Bradford at practice: pic.twitter.com/HOIauAqP1l
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 1, 2015
This means we could potentially see Bradford in this Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. Though, does Bradford’s return to a team drowning in nearly every aspect of its game even matter at this late point in the season?
Philadelphia is on terrible three-game losing streak and is currently situated in third place at 4-7 in the NFC East. And, while Bradford is a slight upgrade over a scatty Mark Sanchez, the Eagles defense has been absolutely horrendous over its past two games.
For example, in Weeks 11 and 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, the Eagles’ defense gave up a total of 951 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading to huge losses — 45-17 to Tampa Bay and then 45-14 to Detroit.
With New England next up on the schedule, even without key receivers the Eagles will be challenged to contain the league’s top passer in Tom Brady, who is averaging 327 passing yards and 2.72 touchdowns per game. Philly’s defense will also have to limit Patriots running backs, who have combined for a total of 15 touchdowns this season.
With the Eagles recent track record against some of the NFL’s lower-ranked teams, Bradford returning to the scene isn’t going to be an instant game-changer considering Philly’s upcoming list of competition. Beyond Week 13, the Eagles face the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins and New York Giants to close out the season.
Furthermore, we must also remember that when Bradford resumes his starting job, he’ll be back to playing with the same old team that is tied for the second-most giveaways and second-most drops in the NFL to date.
Unfortunately, Bradford’s return isn’t going to fix a systemically broken team that may see Chip Kelly, who is feeling the heat, be shown the door at the end of the season, despite opinions to the contrary.