Eagles' Pederson: Bradford missing valuable time to learn offense by avoiding workouts
Sam Bradford continues to stay away from the Philadelphia Eagles' offseason workouts in hopes of forcing a trade. However, with the draft over and most teams around the league set at the quarterback position, it's unclear if Bradford will get the move he's looking for.
In the meantime, the Eagles are still insistent they consider Bradford their starting quarterback. However, with him away from the team and head coach Doug Peterson installing a different offense, the 28-year-old is missing out on a chance to get a head start on mastering the new system.
"Anybody that's not in any of the 32 offseason programs is losing valuable time at that club," Pederson said Saturday, according to Dave Zangaro of CSN Philly. "Anybody that's not in the offseason program, yes, would lose the time."
Bradford requested the trade after it was apparent the Eagles didn't view him as a long-term option, trading up for the No. 2 overall pick the week before the draft and ultimately taking their quarterback of the future in Carson Wentz.
With a roster that includes Wentz and experienced backup Chase Daniel - who previously played in Pederson's system during their time with the Kansas City Chiefs - it's fair to wonder when the Eagles will consider relinquishing Bradford of the starting job.
"I think it depends on when he does come back and how fast we can catch him up and put him in that situation and see where he's at, at that time," Pederson said. "Again, nobody makes the team in April. We're not making any roster adjustments and letting people go. It's all about evaluation and he's in that evaluation process. But as I've said in the past, he was one, Chase is two and we're moving on from there."
The coach said he hasn't spoken with Bradford recently.
"In regards to Sam, obviously, he's still on the roster," Pederson said. "We mentioned before he's not going anywhere, he's our guy. And I look forward to the day he comes back. It's unfortunate the situation, but it's also a voluntary process, as you know. You can't do much about that. The minute he comes back, we catch him up and we just keep on going forward.”