The Philadelphia Eagles made a lot of surprising moves this offseason, but the biggest one of all was signing Tim Tebow to a contract after the quarterback had been out of the league for a full season. After stints in Denver, New York and New England, it appeared Tebow's career was officially over. He took a job in front of the camera for the SEC Network and was having success on the television side of sports. However, the Eagles saw something special in the quarterback and now he begins his quest for a roster spot.
Entering training camp, the Eagles' quarterback rotation includes Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and Tebow as the viable options to make the final roster. Of those four, one will likely be cut. Bradford and Sanchez are competing for the starting spot, leaving Barkley and Tebow to compete for the third-string seat. Head coach Chip Kelly has already made it clear that he is a Tebow fan, seeing a lot of promise in the quarterback. However, he is apparently not the only one.
According to linebacker Brandon Graham via Radio One Detroit, Tebow is going to "shock a lot of people because he's going to make the team. I think he'll play a lot." NESN.com recently reported that Tebow has been looking impressive in workouts as he has spent time throwing on University of Southern California's campus. His throwing motion apparently looks much better and the quarterback is a real threat to make the roster this season.
ESPN's Adam Schefter has already reported the Eagles are more than willing to move on from Barkley. The franchise would ideally like to trade the backup and will aim to find a team with questionable quarterback depth. There could easily be a market for Barkley just like there was one for Ryan Mallett right before the 2014 season began. As long as the Eagles lower their expectations of what they can receive in return, Barkley would be easy to move on from.
The same could be said about Riley Cooper. According to NFL Media Insider Gregg Rosenthal via NFL.com, Cooper is a roster bubble player as the Eagles receiving rotation is crowded. Jordan Matthews comes in as the No.1 option while Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff round out the starting group. Zach Ertz takes over at tight end while Darren Sproles is expected to play a big role in the receiving game as well. A trade for Cooper could bring a solid draft pick for the Eagles is they decide to make him available.