Pederson: Bradford separating himself in QB battle

The Philadelphia Eagles have made it clear they want Sam Bradford to be their starting quarterback in 2016.

But with other intriguing options on the roster in veteran Chase Daniel and first-round pick Carson Wentz, the Eagles have also emphasized that there will be a competition for the starting job.

So far the Eagles are getting their wish, as head coach Doug Pederson said before Friday's session that Bradford is separating himself from Wentz and Daniel.

"I think so," Pederson said, according to Zach Berman of the The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I think he’s done an outstanding job. When you’re spreading reps equally with three guys, that's what you want to see. I think he's done a nice job of taking the next step of being the leader on this football team and the starter. He's done a nice job there."

Bradford has had less time than his fellow quarterbacks to immerse himself in the new offense that Philadelphia is installing, with the 28-year-old holding out in hopes of forcing a trade, but Pederson has come away impressed by the veteran's leadership abilities and vision.

"One, his leadership," Pederson said. "The fact that he's embraced that huddle - it's his huddle. He steps in every day when we're ready to compete, he's aggressive with the guys in the huddle, and that's great to see from your leader, from your quarterback.

"And the way he's anticipated throws, his accuracy on throws, how well he sees the field, throws a nice ball, nice deep ball. Things like that have really made him the guy I knew he was, and those are things that are exciting finishing up our offseason and getting ready for camp."

Pederson admitted that the real competition for the job will start during training camp, but remained coy when asked what'll happen if Bradford is outplayed by either Wentz or Daniel.

"I'll answer that then," Pederson said.