National Football League

How does Nick Foles compare to Sam Bradford?

Published Jul. 22, 2015 12:56 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Justin Koski

The Rams’ former quarterback Sam Bradford has had a rough couple years. He’s had to battle two consecutive torn ACL’s in the same knee, fresh new crops of doe-eyed wide receivers, a revolving door at offensive coordinator and no real talent to block for him. But it was his inability to stay healthy that ultimately forced the Rams to make a move for Nick Foles.

The former Philadelphia Eagle is coming off a smattering of injuries as well and had a down year in 2014 after an electric 2013 season. The big questions heading into 2015 is: which Foles will we see and will he be an upgrade from Bradford and his backups?

ESPN has again concluded it’s annual ranking of the NFL’s quarterbacks (Insider required) in which Mike Sando surveyed 35 NFL personnel evaluators and coaches. Their results are interesting.

According to the data, the Rams upgraded, sort of. Foles is ranked at 22, one spot above Bradford at 23. Some voters dropped Foles down from 15 last year due to a poor injury-shortened 2014 season. Others saw his departure from Chip Kelly’s offense as the biggest factor in his fall. Despite the drop, most agreed that he represents an upgrade from what the Rams had. Bradford checks in below Foles due to his injury history, despite his arm talent and intangibles.

Both quarterbacks were ranked in the third “tier” which means they are, “quarterbacks who are good enough to start but need lots of support, making it tougher to contend at the highest level.”

Bradford and Foles round out the third tier joining: Carson Palmer, Alex Smith, Ryan Tannehill, Colin Kaepernick, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Jay Cutler and Teddy Bridgewater.

Just because they are third tier quarterbacks doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t help a team succeed. Oddly enough, this group contains five quarterbacks that have reached the playoffs. 2015 could be a new chapter for both Foles and Bradford. Which one will propel their new teams back to the playoffs?

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