Eagles, Rams Swap Sam Bradford and Nick Foles in Trade |

Eagles, Rams Swap Sam Bradford and Nick Foles in Trade

Sam Bradford was going to face competition after having his last two NFL seasons ended by knee injuries and Nick Foles wasn’t guaranteed a starting job in 2015, either. The St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles made it easy on them both, as the two organizations agreed to a total swap on Tuesday that sent Bradford to the City of Brotherly Love and Foles to take his place in St. Louis.

Bradford in Philly

Bradford’s key is health. He’s a better pure talent than Foles and the Iggles probably realized they weren’t actually going to get Marcus Mariota. They’ll settle for Bradford, who at his best just might be what they need. He projects as a great pocket passer and his real key will be to just stay active all year long. Philly has enough talent around him so he won’t have to force the issue, while he’s also going to have some familiarity with Philly’s offensive coordinator being the same one he had as a rookie.

Foles in St. Louis

The Rams just need a quarterback who won’t be on injured reserve mid-way through the year. Bradford couldn’t do that and he was going to count $15 million against the cap. The Rams get a competent starter in his place and also should enjoy some cap relief. They probably will want to get Foles some weapons and improve the offensive line, but an elite defense and a rising ground game give Foles a real shot at success right away.

Playoff Odds

Neither of these teams is suddenly a Super Bowl contender, as both will be in entirely new cities with a new supporting cast. Both players saw their 2014 seasons cut short by injury, too, so they may also have some natural rust to shake off. Bradford might be in the better spot, and if he can avoid getting hurt for the third year in a row he just might experience a career revival in Chip Kelly’s up tempo scheme. Worst case, both of these guys get a fresh start and they have plenty of talent around them to turn in a solid 2015 season. Both the Eagles and Rams have arguably answered their quarterback question for the new year and should have a shot at competing for a playoff spot.