By Jack Ryan
Sam Bradford was back on an NFL field — albeit a training camp field — for the first time since he ruptured his left ACL last August during St. Louis Rams training camp.
So how does it feel, Eagles QB Bradford?
“It was a big step,” Bradford said on Sunday after the team’s first practice of training camp.
Bradford participated in full team drills for the first time as a member of the Eagles on Sunday, taking every snap with the first-team offense.
After taking 27 reps with the first-team offense, however, Bradford said he felt 100%.
“To just get out there and know my knee can do it, it was a really big step today,” Bradford said. “”Everything felt good.”
And there was no clunky brace on his knee.
“It was kind of a collective idea. It got to the point where I didn’t need it,” Bradford said. “I was doing a lot of things without it and I felt fine. It was restricting me a little bit during OTAs. I talked to the doctors and they were cool with it.”
The usually accurate quarterback missed a few open throws, and was the only quarterback to be picked off during the close to two-hour practice.
“It was good to get back out there,” Bradford said. “It’s been a long time since I was part of team drills. Almost a year now. Getting adjusted to the speed again (will take time), but I was just happy to play football again.
“Each day I’m out here I get more comfortable. In the past six weeks from when we broke OTAs, I’ve put in a lot of work,” Bradford said. “The things that I did during that period were things that are required on the football field. I’m sure when we get into preseason games and it’s real, that will be another step.”
And the next step after that?
“You guys might even see me pull one,” Bradford joked, “and (run it) up the middle.”
