Eagles Mailbag: Will Sam Bradford or Mark Sanchez start more games in 2015?

Welcome back to the weekly BGN Mailbag. There wasn't a post last week because I was on vacation, but now we're back every weekend from now until early August or so. Thanks to everyone on Twitter who sent in a question. Let's talk some Eagles football.

To the Q&A...

@MarkButtfumble asks: Who sees more starts this year: Mark Sanchez or Sam Bradford?

Of course this question would be coming from this username.

It's a good question. Let's put this to a vote in the poll below.

The correct answer is: TIM TEBOW. But not really.

As I've said numerous times, I don't really buy the idea that there's a true quarterback competition. If Sam Bradford is healthy, he's going to play. The Eagles didn't spend a future second round pick (plus Nick Foles) and $13 million on him this year just to sit the bench. Sanchez took a lot of first team reps in OTAs but I don't imagine that will be the case in training camp if/when Bradford is healthy.

I fully expect Bradford to be the starter. So will he start the most games? I'll say yes. His injury history is an obvious concern, but who am I to bet against sports science. I don't know if I can say I think Bradford will start all 16 but I think he'll start at least nine games, which is good enough for the majority.

@gizmopit215 asks: Will the Eagles trade for Colin Kaepernick?

Remember when the guy who broke the Byron Maxwell signing said the Eagles had interest in Kaepernick? Well, nothing ever came of it and nothing probably ever will. Interesting rumor at the time, though.

@smashMFball: What are the odds Riley Cooper doesn't make the roster?

Much to the chagrin of Eagles fans, I don't see Cooper going away any time soon. He's cheaper to keep than to cut and the team still believes in him to some extent. Cooper's been running with the first team outside receivers all spring. In theory, he should be better for the offense this year if the Eagles rely on the run as much as they're expected to. In actuality, it would be ideal if the Eagles' young trio of Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff, and Nelson Agholor step up and eat into Cooper's snaps while forcing him into a platoon role.

@PaoliBulldog asks: Which WR on the 2014 roster won't be on roster when 2015 season kicks off?

Jeremy Maclin and Brad Smith obviously won't be back. Matthews and Huffs are locks to return. Cooper seems like a pretty good bet to be back, as I just explained. The only other player that leaves is ... Jeff Maehl. One would think the Maehl man is on the outside looking in this year with Seyi Ajirotutu and Miles Austin expected to be above him on the depth chart.

@E_Velazquez21 asks: What is your ideal starting secondary from the guys the Eagles have on the roster? I like the idea of Walter Thurmond at safety.

I, too, think there's reasons to be optimistic about the experiment with Thurmond at safety. He's a talented player who had a good spring. His coverage skills should hold up. There are concerns about his tackling and his ability to stay healthy.

The ideal starting secondary would be: Byron Maxwell and Eric Rowe at cornerback with Malcolm Jenkins and Thurmond at safety. The Eagles would love to see Rowe step up and earn the outside job. However, I don't think that's necessarily the most realistic situation. I do think Nolan Carroll is a strong contender to start. He looks good in practice, for what it's worth, and teammates and coaches rave about him. I also think it can take time for rookie cornerbacks to adjust to the NFL more so than other positions.

@EaglesAmigos asks: G.J. Kinne's chance of making roster spot?

Kinne has impressed as a wide receiver, at least relative to expectations given the fact he's new to the position. But the truth is Kinne is too good to make the Eagles' roster. The NFL would never allow it. It's simply unfair to all the other teams. Instead, the Eagles will have to settle for keeping him on the practice squad for a third straight year. Kinne can offer value in practice as a quarterback, running back, and wide receiver.

@ProtoTyler asks: Is Ed Marynowitz a dark horse in the QB competition?

He's got a pretty decent arm, which should be expected from a former college quarterback. He's not in the mix, but I'm very confident he'd make for a better emergency QB than former general manager Howie Roseman. Hey, maybe that's the real reason the power struggle went down.