PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles have completed their journey to the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
The Eagles acquired the Cleveland Browns' pick Thursday with a blockbuster trade. To make this deal, the Eagles used draft picks acquired in two previous trades. Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said the team had been trying to move up ever since January.
Roseman acknowledged Wednesday that the Eagles intended to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick. The Los Angeles Rams already acquired the top overall pick from Tennessee for a slew of picks and have indicated they will take a quarterback. The Eagles will likely take either Cal's Jared Goff or North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, whichever is not taken by the Rams.
It is the fourth time the top two selections in the draft have been dealt.
"You have to be very comfortable with both of those quarterbacks and believe they have a shot to be great, Pro Bowl-caliber," Roseman said. "It's hard to be great if you don't take some risks."
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said of Wentz and Goff: "These guys are pretty even. From all the physical tools, both of them are extremely gifted. Good arm strength, good mobility. Obviously, Carson is a little bigger, maybe a little better athlete right now. There's not much separating those two."
The Eagles sent five draft picks to the Browns: the No. 8 pick in the first round, a third-round pick (77th overall) and a fourth-round pick (100th overall) in this year's draft, a first-round pick in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018. Cleveland also sends a fourth-round pick in 2017 to the Eagles.
Roseman acquired the No. 8 pick from Miami in exchange for cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso. He obtained the 100th pick, the second selection in the fourth round, from Tennessee in exchange for running back DeMarco Murray.
While the Eagles clearly are seeking a franchise quarterback with this move, Roseman said that Sam Bradford will be the Eagles' starting quarterback in 2016. The Eagles signed Bradford to a two-year, $35 million contract in March.
"Let me be clear," Roseman said. "Sam Bradford is our starting quarterback. We told Sam that. We intend to support him, and the moves we made this offseason, we believe, will give us a chance to compete this season."
Despite the assurances, Bradford isn't happy that the team traded up to draft a quarterback.
"He's hot," a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Who wouldn't be? This is Philly saying, 'We don't see (you) as long-term answer.' He's mad and wants to show everyone who's best."
The Eagles also signed free agent Chase Daniel, who had been the backup for the Kansas City Chiefs. Daniel is familiar with new Eagles coach Pederson and his offense from Kansas City, where Pederson was the offensive coordinator.
The Browns were in position to finally land a quarterback after more than a decade of futility and turnover at the position. Cleveland has had 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999, but the club's new front office wasn't enthralled with Goff or Wentz and decided to get more picks to help first-year coach Hue Jackson build a winner.
The Browns recently signed Robert Griffin III, making it easier to trade the second pick. Griffin signed a two-year, $15 million contract and was viewed as a "bridge" QB until the team develops a young player.
The Browns' new front office led by Sashi Brown has placed heavy emphasis on analytics in preparing for this year's draft and putting together Cleveland's roster. With so many needs, the Browns chose to accumulate as many picks as possible to fill holes on both sides of the ball.
The Eagles host the Browns in the season opener on Sept. 11.
The Eagles had also talked to the Chargers about swapping their No. 8 pick for San Diego's No. 3, sources told Schefter. The Eagles thought they could get a quarterback there and pay a lower price, but Philadelphia's concern always was that another team looking for a quarterback would leapfrog it to No. 2, sources said.
Previous years in which the top two picks were traded, according to Stats:
1967, when New Orleans sent the top spot to the Baltimore Colts, who took Bubba Smith, and the Giants sent the second pick to Minnesota, which grabbed Clint Jones.
1975, when Atlanta got the No. 1 selection from the Colts and took Steve Bartkowski, while Dallas acquired No. 2 from the Giants to take Randy White.
1997, when the Rams got the top spot from the Jets to draft Orlando Pace, and the Saints sent the No. 2 selection to the Raiders, who picked Darrell Russell.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.