The Philadelphia Eagles signed Tim Tebow to a contract this offseason and now he has the chance to make the roster and if that happens, the trade or release of Matt Barkley could be in the cards for Chip Kelly and this comes with Mark Sanchez slotted as the backup for Sam Bradford and that leaves Tebow and Barkley to battle for third string in camp.
Barkley has not done much in his two seasons in the league and with Tebow in camp, there will be a competition for the third spot at quarterback. According to Pro Football Talk, Matt Barkley was previously on the trade block this offseason and the team had some interest from the Miami Dolphins. The Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News reports that Barkley is "no lock" to be the number three quarterback and Tebow has a "real chance" to make the roster.
Kelly is a coach that likes to maximize the value on his roster and with Barkley throwing just one pass last season despite Nick Foles missing eight games, the value just isn't there. While Tebow is not a conventional quarterback, he has more added value than Barkley does. Tebow can be used in certain offensive sets and on short-yardage plays and there is a chance he could be used as a two point specialist with the new extra point rules coming.
Tebow was signed in the offseason after a workout for the Eagles and Pro Football Talk reported that Tebow looked much better than he did when he was in training camp with the Patriots in 2013. Sam Bradford is locked in as the starting quarterback and Sanchez showed last season that he can handle being the backup. Kelly now has to decide on who to bring on as the third quarterback, as GJ Kinne is moving to receiver.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News, Barkley was a Kelly pick despite the draft being overseen by Howie Roseman at the time and that could add into the decision as well. Barkley has thrown just 50 passes in two seasons and he has four interceptions and zero touchdowns in that time. The team likely will not be able to get much at this point for Barkley in a trade and that is why he will likely stick with the team and compete through training camp. Tebow still has to win the job and that gives Barkley the chance to prove himself this summer.
Sanchez made some comments about Tebow and called him mostly a "camp arm" but he later said those comments were taken out of context. Either way, Tebow is going to have a good chance to play behind Sanchez again after they previously played for the Jets together. Sanchez came in for Foles last season and played in eight games and he opted to return as a free agent on a two year deal. The team may need Barkley again, as Bradford has an extensive injury history.
Sanchez comes in after throwing for 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season and he completed a career best 64 percent of his passes. Sanchez had 2418 yards and was very solid in Kelly's unique offense and the coach feels comfortable using him again if Bradford goes down. The Tebow-Barkley situation will be most important if this happens, as Kelly will want the best backup to be the third stringer if Bradford goes down and Sanchez has to start.