You do not put the band back together without the lead singer. Keep that premise in mind while you watch Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly operate in the run-up to the NFL Draft.

In this metaphor Marcus Mariota plays Mick Jagger, in case you wondered.

Tuesday, amid a flurry of free agent activity, Kelly traded former starting quarterback Nick Foles for Sam Bradford. This came after Mark Sanchez was awarded a contract extension by the Eagles. And while some are reading this as the end of Kelly's pursuit of Mariota, I'm not buying it.

Kelly's big move?

Wait for it.

Because this wasn't it.

Sanchez is Sanchez. Kelly knows and likes his skill set, but he's not a guy Kelly should trust with the keys to his operation. Bradford is 27 and has been injury plagued in his five-year career. He's torn his ACL twice since being the top pick in the 2010 draft. He's in the final year of rookie contract and is slated to make $12.9 million.

Those paying close attention know the Eagles are now very deep at back-up quarterback and that Bradford's contract expires in 2015. I suspect flexibility may be what Kelly was really after and if he somehow doesn't get Mariota, Bradford gives Kelly options.

Kelly hasn't said much about Mariota amid the pre-draft workouts. He's letting the pundits beat up the Heisman Trophy winner. But I don't think there's a quarterback more uniquely qualified to step into a starting role his rookie season and shine than Mariota and the Eagles.

Eli Manning hijacked the draft in 2004 and forced the Chargers to trade him to the Giants by saying he wouldn't play in San Diego. John Elway forced the Colts to trade him and ended up in Denver. I don't think Mariota will make a public demand to go to Philadelphia (it's just not in his personality), but he might not have to if Kelly ends up holding enough assets to grab a sliding Mariota.

Kelly is too smart to mortgage the entire franchise to get his guy. But his relative silence on the matter is a big tell. Of course, he's interested. Of course, he'd love to have the guy he recruited to run his offense and lead Oregon to a national title game running the Eagles for the foreseeable future. But getting there is a tall order when you're holding the No. 20 pick.

Which is why you need to maintain flexibility. In the Bradford trade, the Rams also get Philadelphia's fourth-round pick (2015) and second-round pick (2016). The Eagles get St. Louis' fifth-round pick (2015) and can also pick up a conditional pick (2016) based on how many snaps Bradford takes in Philadelphia.

LeSean McCoy got traded by Kelly. Foles left via trade too. The message buried in Kelly's moves isn't about his system as much about wanting to have ideal players running his system. Watching the Eagles last season was like watching replacement players. Kelly now has the autonomy he had at Oregon to build his roster, and while Bradford may have potential, he's not Kelly's starter next season.

The Bradford trade feels like Kelly's back-up plan.

How much Kelly needs to give up to draft Mariota is still the only question left.

--- @JohnCanzanoBFT