Bradford's status vs. Patriots still uncertain, but it's looking like he'll play

You can't really blame starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the Philadelphia Eagles' recent struggles. 

Sure, you could say the injury he suffered in the third quarter of their loss to Miami Dolphins — their first of three-straight to last-place teams — has played a role, but that's not the quarterback's fault. If anything, that's on the offensive line.

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In the nine-plus quarters since Bradford suffered a concussion and sprained AC joint in his left, non-throwing shoulder, the Eagles have been outscored 97-34. In his absence, backup QB Mark Sanchez has left much to be desired, turning the ball over five times (4 interceptions and a fumble) while throwing just four touchdowns. And while it's obvious that the defense hasn't done anything to help the offense, potentially getting their starting QB back in time for Sunday's matchup against the New England Patriots will at least instill some confidence on one side of the ball.

For now, however, his status remains up in the air.

“I don’t know what [Bradford's] status will be this week,” Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said Monday at NovaCare

Come Tuesday, we'll likely find out a lot more about just how close the former No. 1 overall pick is to a return.

"We’ll see where he is tomorrow; he’ll practice tomorrow," said Kelly. "I just don’t know where we are from a throwing standpoint. He threw little bit on Thursday in Detroit — wasn’t ready to play last Thursday, obviously — but we hope he progresses from when he threw last. The big test will be tomorrow, in terms of him throwing the ball around and seeing if there’s residual soreness in terms of being able to complete the throw.”

Bradford was a full participant in last Wednesday's practice — their final training session before falling to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving — but Kelly said Monday that was a bit misleading and that there was no setback that caused his quarterback to be listed as inactive for the game.

“Wednesday was the day before the game, so it’s ‘full’ because we don’t ask our guys to do a whole heck of a lot. He threw on Wednesday, but again, it’s ‘full’ because it’s an hour practice the day before a game, but it’s not what a normal Wednesday is like during a normal work week."

So what exactly has been holding Bradford back? According to Kelly, the fear of re-injury is at the top of that list.

“The stability on that side. You know, where he is [with his recovery there]," Kelly said when asked about how a non-throwing arm injury hinders a QB. "And then the other part of that is if he can take a hit. If he’s got some instability in his left shoulder — and it’s actually not his shoulder, it’s his AC [joint] — if you have some instability in there, then you’re susceptible to something if you get hit. Can he handle that? Can he take a hit — so it’s not something that affects him longterm?”

The problem here is that they won't know how Bradford responds to that until he returns to game action -- he's not going actually take a hit in practice while wearing one of those bright red jerseys. Therefore, their first chance to assess his recovery in that regard won't be until Sunday afternoon in New England. And by then, it could be too late.

If that truly is the one thing holding the Eagles QB back -- and we'll find out more on Tuesday -- then you should expect to see him in the lineup Sunday. After all, Kelly did affirm his faith in the former Heisman winner, saying that it's Bradford's job again once he's healthy.

“Yeah [it’s still Bradford’s job]," he said. "If he’s back healthy, he’ll be the starting quarterback.”

As he should be -- and not just because Sanchez is 0-2 as a starter this season against last-place teams. Bradford has been improving all season, and he's earned it. Furthermore, the Eagles need as many chances as possible to evaluate whether or not he's going to be their quarterback going forward, beyond the 2015 season. Even if they don't know who their coach is going to be next year.

“I just think a general feel for what we’re doing," Kelly said when asked what improvements he saw from Bradford prior to his injury. "Being able to go [through his reads] from one to two to three to four to five and at times go through his full progressions. Knowing where everybody is going to be at times when he has to change protection and make sure we’re on the right page  … 

"I think he’s done a really good job. I think there’s a comfort level with him obviously. He missed a lot of the offseason program — he was here every day, but not taking the reps every day. So I think obviously when he’s around it and in it and practicing every day and playing every day, you can see him grow. And I thought he grew really in those last couple games. I thought he played really well when we played Dallas. And I thought he was on track when we were playing Miami, and then he gets hurt. So, hopefully, we’ll see where he is [on Tuesday].”

And if Bradford is ready to go this week, it won't be an easy first game back. He'll have to face the 10-1 Patriots, fresh off their first loss of the season, in Foxborough.

Welcome back, Sam.