Sproles Absent from OTAs, Pederson Denies Trade Rumors

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Sam Bradford was supposed to be the story when the Eagles resumed OTAs Tuesday but the disgruntled quarterback had to take a bit of a back seat to the rumors surrounding veteran running back Darren Sproles, who remained absent from the voluntary activities.

NFL Media reported earlier Tuesday that the soon-to-be, 33-year-old Sproles was the subject of trade discussions during the draft and because of that he plans to stay away from the team until "that is sorted out."

At the conclusion of a rainy practice session, Eagles coach Doug Pederson addressed the issue and said he expected Sproles to be back for mandatory minicamp and denied there was any interest from Philadelphia in trading him.

"We had no decisions to do that whatsoever," Pederson said when asked about a potential deal for Sproles. "I want Darren Sproles on this football team. He's a big part of this football team."

So why is Sproles staying away?

"I think he's at the point of his career and I've been there too where he wants to spend time with his family," Pederson claimed. "He's knows what it takes to be ready to go and I expect he will be in a couple of weeks."

That's means mandatory minicamp which starts for the Eagles on June 7.

"He and I are in direct communication and we've been talking all offseason," Pederson said. "I have no issues with Darren Sproles. I expect him to be here for mandatory camp. Obviously this a voluntary program so I can't fault him for not being here."

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973ESPN.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen