The Philadelphia Eagles may consider a Matt Barkley trade this offseason after signing Tim Tebow as a free agent and heading into OTA workouts and training camp Chip Kelly likely will push Tebow as the third stringer behind Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez and this comes as DeMarco Murray and Nelson Agholor are entering the starting lineup this year with Jordan Matthews on offense.
The Eagles were one of the most active teams in the NFL this offseason and they now have a new starting running back and quarterback for 2015. Murray was signed to a free agent deal after the Cowboys let him walk in free agency, while Bradford was acquired in a deal with the Rams for Nick Foles. The Eagles also traded LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso and now they are heading into training camp and OTAs with high expectations and plenty of questions.
The Eagles signed Tebow after working him out and according to the Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News, Barkley's spot as the number three quarterback on the roster is "not secure" this offseason. Pro Football Talk reports that Barkley is on the trade block, but the Eagles may wait to push things until Bradford is fully healthy. Kelly likes maximizing value on the roster and with Barkley throwing just one pass last season despite Foles being out, it likely means that he is not very valuable anymore. Tebow can give Kelly unique options on offense and he brings more to the table than Barkley.
The Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News reports that Barkley was a Kelly pick despite Howie Roseman being in charge of player personnel in that draft and so far the pick looks like a mistake. Barkley has potential, but he has thrown only 50 passes in the pros and his arm strength has been questioned as well. The Miami Dolphins showed interest in a deal, but they signed Josh Freeman instead. The Eagles have Sanchez locked in as the backup QB and Kelly feels comfortable with him starting if Bradford goes down.
Last season Barkley threw only one pass and the year before he had 49 attempts for 300 yards and four interceptions with zero touchdowns. The Eagles have Bradford coming back from knee injuries and they are expecting him to stay healthy this year. Jordan Matthews returns after a strong rookie season and now the Eagles are hoping Agholor can be successful in year one. ESPN Eagles reporter Phil Sheridan reports that Agholor likely will start right away for Kelly, as he has great hands and is a better option than Riley Cooper alongside Matthews.
The Eagles have Murray coming in after a career season and he also has Ryan Mathews joining the backfield with Darren Sproles. Murray had over 1800 yards last season and now he comes in as the feature back in Philadelphia. According to Philly Mag Birds 24/7, the Eagles wanted a "one-cut running back" for Kelly's offense and that is why the team dealt McCoy to the Bills despite all of his success running in Philadelphia. The team sees Murray as a better option in the offense for Kelly and he should be able to open things up in the passing game. Murray, Mathews and Sproles also all have skills catching the ball out of the backfield and could be strong safety nets for Bradford.