Some may agree and some may disagree, but there is no denying that the Philadelphia Eagles have somewhat of a quarterback controversy on their hands. The two quarterbacks in that controversy are Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez.

During the offseason, the Eagles traded away the quarterback who has started the majority of the team’s games the last two years in Nick Foles. In return they got St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. The team also re-signed backup quarterback Mark Sanchez who went 4-4 as a starter after taking over for Foles last season.

It is presumed that Bradford will get the nod at quarterback over Sanchez. After all, head coach Chip Kelly did trade for him giving up Foles and a second-round pick in the process. However, if Bradford starts the season unhealthy or isn’t the same quarterback that he was before his second knee injury, it is possible that Sanchez win the job over the newly acquired quarterback.

It is Sanchez who has a full year under Kelly. He knows the system, for the most part he knows the personnel, and by the looks of it he believes he can win the job and that this isnt a predetermined competition. Prior to training camp, Sanchez has gotten players like Darren Sproles, Zach Ertz, and Jordan Matthews together in San Diego to work out. Having offseason programs such as these helps build a good rapport with personnel.

While this may seem just like a small gesture, it is a leadership-like gesture and one that only someone who truly believes they can win the starting quarterback job would make. Sanchez obviously wants the starting quarterback job in Philly, and he’s taking the necessary steps to do so. 

It will be interesting to see what Sanchez and Bradford do in camp and who winds up being the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1. It is likely that Bradford will be limited at the very least for part of training camp. In that time, Sanchez will be getting the majority of the first team reps.

It is also questionable if Bradford will be healthy for the start of Week 1. If he isn’t and Sanchez comes out and lights it up, will Kelly roll with the hot hand or immediately hand the job over to Bradford who has been out the last year and a half?

It’s not like Sanchez played terribly in his eight starts last season with the Eagles. He went 4-4 averaging 277 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game. Thats not to mention that three of his four losses were against the top three teams in the NFC.

With another year in the system and familiarity with with personnel, it is possible that Sanchez will play impressively enough to win over the starting quarterback position to start the year. If he doesn’t, history says that Bradford will most likely suffer some sort of injury.

Sanchez seems to be reenergized and ready for the competition. While many are counting him out of the fight, it is very possible that he will become the starting quarterback of the Eagles.