The Philadelphia Eagles have put Matt Barkley on the trade block this offseason and if the team trades the backup quarterback, there is a chance Chip Kelly will sign Tim Tebow as a free agent and this comes as rumors have continued that the Eagles will try and trade up to get Marcus Mariota using Sam Bradford after they acquired him from the Rams.
The Eagles have been one of the most active teams in the league this offseason and they made some major changes by trading away Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy. Chip Kelly was given control over the roster and he has started to shape things to his offensive system, which is why he traded away McCoy and added Bradford. Kelly has said that Bradford will not be used as a trade chip, but according to ESPN.com, coaches around the league think that the Eagles are planning to target Mariota in the draft.
Kelly has a connection to Mariota from when he was coach at Oregon and while the team gave up significant picks for Bradford, there is speculation he could get traded again. The Eagles signed back Mark Sanchez this offseason and now NBC Washington's Dianna Marie Russini reports that the team is shopping backup Matt Barkley. Barkley was the third string quarterback last year and he has not played much in two seasons under Kelly.
The report says that the Eagles would be willing to trade Barkley for a "late pick" and if a trade does not go through, he could be released. The team likely will not make a move until after the draft with Barkley. According to Pro Football Talk, the Eagles will look at bringing in Tim Tebow on a contract if Barkley is traded, as the team worked him out and reports had him looking "much improved" from when he was last in the NFL.
According to philadelphiaeagles.com, Kelly said that the Tebow workout was the team doing its "homework", but with the way he has done things this year, the Barkley for Tebow switch would not be a shock. The Browns are also reportedly interested in Sam Bradford and moving up for Marcus Mariota and those moves could intersect as the draft gets closer. The Eagles, Browns, Chargers and NY Jets all have had reported interest in Mariota and some of those teams have scheduled workouts with him.
The Eagles have been linked to Mariota all offseason, but Kelly said to the media that the team will not "mortgage" the future for one player. The Browns are set up to trade for Mariota if they want to, as they have two first round picks this year and the most selections of any team in the draft. According to Pro Football Talk, the interest in Mariota is "serious" and the team may consider moving on from Johnny Manziel after just one season.
The Eagles have not been afraid to make bold moves this offseason and Kelly could look at doing that with Mariota. Kelly has a specific system and if he sees Mariota as the best player to run it, he may go get him.