Bradford participates fully in Eagles' first practice

Sam Bradford took his spot at quarterback during the first play of 11-on-11 on the first day of Eagles training camp on Sunday and stayed behind center for all of the first-team snaps throughout the practice.

Bradford returned to training camp healthy and with full clearance to participate after he was only a partial participant in the spring while recovering from a twice-torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Coach Chip Kelly said the new Eagles quarterback would play in the Aug. 16 preseason opener unless a problem arises. That puts Bradford on target to start the Sept. 14 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

"It's a big step," Bradford said after practice. "It's been almost a year since I've been on the field in full speed playing football. To go out there and play ball and know my knee can do it, I think it was a really big first step and first day today."

The next step is to see how his knee responds to consecutive days of work. Bradford will be mindful of possible soreness or swelling, but Kelly said he is not anticipating a schedule with Bradford taking days off. That doesn't mean the Eagles won't adjust if Bradford's knee "flares up," but the plan is to push Bradford and see how his knee responds.

"He's full go, 100 percent," Kelly said. "He had a great offseason, I think, from when we left on June 18 to now. He feels really confident."

Bradford even ditched the bulky knee brace that restricted his movement during the spring, instead wearing a lighter rubber brace. The decision was made with the medical staff's permission at Bradford's behest.

He trained this summer without the brace and reached a point where he felt he no longer needed it. When he met with the medical staff Saturday, the doctors and trainers were fine with his decision.

Bradford still must acclimate to the offense and his new teammates, but the training wheels were off at practice. He said he felt stronger and noticed a difference in side-to-side movement and his ability to change directions. He practiced stepping up in the pocket and anticipated a pass rush, which he did not need to do when he took part only in seven-on-sevens. (The Eagles were not wearing pads, and Bradford was wearing the quarterback's red jersey that made him off-limits for contact.)

"You guys might even see me pull one and run it up the middle," Bradford joked.

Bradford spent his summer in Philadelphia working on sport-specific drills to prepare for training camp. He focused on simulating drops, moving in the pocket, rolling out, and throwing on the run. He also incorporated leg strength work.

He did not need to meet with surgeon James Andrews during the summer, and he has not needed an MRI on the knee in the last month. Live hitting in a preseason game will be an adjustment, but Bradford said he has taken hits since he was 7 years old, so he knows what to expect.

The good news for Bradford did not help Mark Sanchez's expectation that there will be an open competition for the starting quarterback job this summer.

Before practice, Kelly said that quarterbacks coach Ryan Day would rotate the quarterbacks in and out of drills, and that he's not focused on who is with the first team, second team, or third team. But it was noticeable that Bradford took all the work with the top unit.

Sanchez said he believes there's "always a competition" regardless of who is taking the majority of the first-team snaps.

"That's a Coach Kelly decision," Sanchez said about whether he expects Sunday's pattern to remain. "So just roll with the punches, and whatever reps you get, make the most of them."

Sanchez took most of the first-team work during the spring when Bradford sat out 11-on-11 drills. Bradford was not ready to practice then, and that was never the timetable he provided when he was acquired in March

"This is the plan we had from the time I've been here: Get ready for training camp, for Day 1 of training camp," Bradford said.

The first day of camp proved that Bradford is healthy enough to play - at least for now.

@ZBerm