August 08, 2016
On Thursday night at The Linc, all eyes will be on the Eagles' expensive three-man quarterback rotation. And in news that comes with very little surprise, the depth chart will be Sam Bradford first, Chase Daniel second, and Carson Wentz third when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town as the teams open up their preseason schedules.
When asked about his preparation for the preseason opener, Doug Pederson said that he will use all three quarterbacks in the order that the Eagles have planned since the offseason.
"Obviously Sam will start with the ones, I got Chase going in there [next]," Pederson said. "Carson will take the bulk of the second half, and then when I get the opportunity, I want to see McLeod [Bethel-Thompson] get some time late in the game."
Fans and observers usually tend to lose interest by halftime of the first preseason game, as players who won't make the 53-man roster start to find their way onto the field. For the Eagles in 2016, you could argue that the tables have completely turned. Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in April's NFL Draft, won't make his highly-anticipated debut until after the teams go to the locker room.
Pederson, who admitted on Monday that Wentz still needs to work on his mechanics, said that he's simply looking for the rookie to lead the Eagles offense his first time out.
"He's been exposed to all the situations in practice, it's just now execution," Pederson said. "I want to see the timing, the accuracy, the decision making with him. I want to see him being able to move our offense.
"The more comfortable you are with our offense, the less you think about mechanics and you cut it loose and play."
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