Just a few days after the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a dislocated knee and torn ACL, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports, the Vikings have come to an agreement on a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. The terms of the trade sent quarterback Sam Bradford to the Vikings in exchange for the Vikings first round draft pick in 2017 and a conditional fourth round draft pick in 2018.
With Shaun Hill the only available back up for the Vikings, Minnesota’s front office felt the pressure to address the Quarterback position especially after the final preseason game when Joel Stave suffered an injury to his left hand. With Bridgewater out for the remainder of the 2016 season, it seems to be the right move by Minnesota to get as much security for Shaun Hill who has never led a team to the post season.
This trade does justify every move the Eagles have made this offseason. In what most people thought was a reach to trade up to the number two overall pick, for rookie Quarterback Carson Wentz, head coach Doug Pederson made it his mission to sign Quarterback Chase Daniel during free agency, who he has a past with during his days as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports, the Eagles plan to start rookie Carson Wentz week one against the Cleveland Browns if fully recovered from his rib injury. following the Caplan report, NFL Networks Mike Garafolo reports, that Chase Daniel is not happy with coach Pederson’s decision to start the rookie, which makes for more Quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. A strange decision by the Eagles coaching staff, especially since at one point they thought Wentz would sit on the bench for the entire year.
In regards to the trade, I believe both teams are winners. Many may overreact and feel Bradford is not worth a first round draft pick, in addition to a conditional fourth round draft pick, but the Vikings were desperate and it seems the Eagles front office was aware. Bradford is a perfect fit for what the Vikings like to do offensively. As good as Teddy Bridgewater may appear, the Vikings don’t ask him to do much in a run first offense. If Sam Bradford can just manage the game and limit his turnovers, he could see a lot of success alongside Adrian Peterson. Also with current backup Shaun Hill at age 36, when Teddy Bridgewater returns, the Vikings now have a serviceable back up. For the Eagles, they unloaded a lot of picks to get Carson Wentz and never really seemed to love Sam Bradford. What would be a better week for Wentz to make his rookie debut, than week one against the Browns, who the Eagles traded with to draft Wentz second overall.
