The Philadelphia Eagles had Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley make their preseason debuts on Sunday and head coach Chip Kelly was happy with the performances of the three players, while starter Sam Bradford sat out and this comes as DeMarco Murray has been getting breaks this summer, while Barkley could be a trade option if Tebow makes the team.
The Eagles have Bradford coming in as the starter barring any injuries this summer and Sanchez is slotted in as the backup for Kelly. Kelly previously said Sanchez would compete for the starting job, but all signs in the preseason and camp have pointed to Bradford being the number one starter. The most intriguing battle for the Eagles is the third string spot, as Kelly signed Tebow this offseason and he is challenging Barkley for the job. The preseason win against the Colts did not make tings much clearer for that competition, as both players were solid, but Barkley was the better player statistically.
Coming into the start of the preseason, NJ.com predicted that Tebow would make the roster over Barkley, as he provides more value to the team overall compared to Barkley. Elliot Shorr-Parks made the prediction a couple weeks ago and that could play out, as Tebow can be used on offense as a decoy, short yardage player and an option on two point conversions. But if Barkley outplays Tebow throughout the preseason and looks much better, Kelly may have no choice but to keep Barkley around.
Tebow scored a touchdown on Sunday rushing the ball and he also completed half of his passes, putting up a stat line of 69 passing yards on 6-of-12 completions and 15 rushing yards on four attempts. Barkley was better overall with 192 passing yards on 12-of-20 completions and he also had an interception. Last season Barkley only threw one pass despite Nick Foles being injured and that left Mark Sanchez to be the starter for Kelly. That lack of confidence was glaring and moving forward Barkley likely will have to prove he belongs on the team a bit more than Tebow, who has been out of football for two years.
According to Pro Football Talk, Kelly said to CSN Philly after the game that he "liked how Timmy threw" and he also had praise for Barkley's work in the game. Barkley said that the attention that Tebow is getting "doesn't bother him" and that he is working to stay prepared throughout the preseason. Sanchez looks locked in as number two on the depth chart, as he went 2-of-7 seven for 52 yards in the game with a 34 yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor.
The Eagles are also being careful about how they use DeMarco Murray this summer, as Kelly said that concerns about Murray being overworked are "valid." Murray had nearly 500 touches last season and he likely will get far fewer this season with Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews sharing the backfield. Murray did not play in the first preseason game and he likely will be limited moving forward.
Check here for more on the Eagles QB situation, the future for Tebow and Barkley and more on DeMarco Murray and concerns about overwork.