Philadelphia Eagles: Can their key players stay healthy?

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to turn the corner and become a Super Bowl contender. Yet the team will be relying heavily on players that have their fair share of injury concerns. If the Eagles as a whole stay healthy there’s no doubt that there is a chance they can contend, but if history repeats itself, it could be a long season.

Most of the team’s success falls on the shoulders of one man, that man is quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford’s injury history is well documented, whether it was a shoulder injury in college, the nagging ankle sprains early on in his career, or the back to back tearing of his left ACL. Bradford has failed to live up to his top overall pick billing because of multiple injuries.

Bradford has the talent to push the Philadelphia Eagles offense to the next level, if healthy. Those key words seem to follow Bradford everywhere. “If’s” usually aren’t a good thing. The good news is that there are reports are that Sam is looking good, and will be full go during training camp. This is obviously important for many reasons, but Bradford now has to stay healthy and knock the rust off quickly.

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Sam Bradford isn’t the only player that the team desperately needs to stay healthy. Mychal Kendricks, the teams young inside linebacker really needs to find a way to stay on the field. When Kendricks plays, he’s a borderline Pro Bowl player, but missing a handful of games in back to back seasons puts doubt in his accountability.

The starter opposite Kendricks will likely be Kiko Alonso, and he too has a concerning injury history. Since his college days at Oregon, Alonso has dealt with multiple injuries. While in Buffalo, he balled out during his rookie season, but tore his ACL early in the offseason prior to his second season. Alonso has the potential to be an elite player when healthy. Once again the Philadelphia Eagles are taking a calculated risk. The pairing of Kendricks and Alonso is a scary one for offenses, but health concerns are a major issue. The middle of the defense is dependent on these young players.

Philadelphia’s biggest position of concern is the offensive line. The team has three elite players at the left tackle, center, and right tackle positions. The only problem is the extreme lack of depth behind the starters. Future Hall of Famer Jason Peters missed the 2012 season due to an achilles injury and the void was noticeable and the team went an abysmal 4-12 that season. Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson both missed time due to injury and suspension last season and the offense sputtered and failed to find any kind of groove.

The team needs the offensive line to stay fully healthy or things could get ugly for the Eagles and the injury prone Sam Bradford. This is a huge risk, betting that a position group makes it out fully healthy throughout the season is a dangerous game to play. The offensive line plays a role in the teams success and Sam’s health.

The Eagles are counting on key players and a group of offensive linemen to stay healthy this upcoming season. The problem is that the key members of the team have injury histories that may or may not continue into next season. The Philadelphia Eagles are taking a risk on extremely talented players with injury concerns. If the team can stay relatively healthy, the Eagles will see a successful season. If the teams role of the dice fails, it could be a long season. Only time will tell if history will repeat itself.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles Position Breakdown: Safety

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