Kirk Cousins and Drew Brees are getting more attention (deservedly so). There should also be considerable interest in Case Keenum and AJ McCarron, and maybe Nick Foles via trade. But I will be interested to see where Sam Bradford winds up.
Bradford can’t be counted on as a starter. He’s had too many injuries, and his body doesn’t seem to be able to handle the rigors of playing the position. The Vikings indicate he might have a degenerative knee condition.
But Bradford has shown that when he’s on the field, he has some ability. When healthy, he’s looked like an above-average quarterback.
At times Bradford seems to check it down short too much. I would prefer to see him cut it loose more often on downfield strikes. But we saw some of those kind of balls when he lit up the Saints in the season’s first Monday night game last year.
Bradford doesn’t turn it over, and he’s accurate. Over the last two years he’s completed 72 percent of his passes. Of the 32 quarterbacks who’ve attempted at least 500 passes over the last two years, that’s the most of any of them. Only Drew Brees is close.
To me, Bradford makes a lot of sense as a Foles-type backup. Your starter gets hurt in November or December and the season isn’t necessarily lost. The former No. 1 overall pick should be one of the half-dozen highest paid backup quarterbacks, in my opinion.
Reports suggest the Bills are looking into Bradford. That might be a good fit. Buffalo almost certainly will obtain one of the heralded rookie quarterbacks. Bradford could serve as a mentor and handle some starts. (In whatever games Bradford would have to start, the offense probably would be more effective.)
| COMPLETION PERCENTAGE (2016-17) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Comp | Pct |
| Sam Bradford | 595 | 427 | 71.8% |
| Drew Brees | 1209 | 857 | 70.9% |
| Alex Smith | 994 | 669 | 67.3% |
| Matt Ryan | 1063 | 715 | 67.3% |
| Tom Brady | 1013 | 676 | 66.7% |
| Kirk Cousins | 1146 | 753 | 65.7% |
| Matthew Stafford | 1159 | 759 | 65.5% |
| Aaron Rodgers | 848 | 555 | 65.4% |
| Dak Prescott | 949 | 619 | 65.2% |
| Case Keenum | 803 | 521 | 64.9% |
| Joe Flacco | 1221 | 788 | 64.5% |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 1070 | 688 | 64.3% |
| Josh McCown | 562 | 357 | 63.5% |
| Andrew Luck | 545 | 346 | 63.5% |
| Derek Carr | 1075 | 680 | 63.3% |
| Russell Wilson | 1099 | 692 | 63.0% |
| Andy Dalton | 1059 | 661 | 62.4% |
| Eli Manning | 1169 | 729 | 62.4% |
| Tyrod Taylor | 856 | 532 | 62.1% |
| Jameis Winston | 1009 | 627 | 62.1% |
| Marcus Mariota | 904 | 557 | 61.6% |
| Carson Wentz | 1047 | 644 | 61.5% |
| Philip Rivers | 1153 | 709 | 61.5% |
| Jay Cutler | 566 | 347 | 61.3% |
| Carson Palmer | 864 | 528 | 61.1% |
| Jared Goff | 682 | 408 | 59.8% |
| Blake Bortles | 1148 | 683 | 59.5% |
| Trevor Siemian | 835 | 495 | 59.3% |
| Jacoby Brissett | 524 | 310 | 59.2% |
| Brock Osweiler | 682 | 397 | 58.2% |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | 566 | 324 | 57.2% |
| Cam Newton | 1002 | 561 | 56.0% |
—Ian Allan