The Philadelphia Eagles have Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez as the top quarterbacks on the roster and with Chip Kelly having Tim Tebow and Matt Barkley compete in the preseason, the loser could see their trade or release after camp and this comes as DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews will likely split carries for the bulk of the season on offense.
The Eagles had three quarterbacks play in their first preseason game last week, with Sam Bradford getting the game off. Bradford could play this week and it comes after the QB has gotten rave reviews from his coaches in camp. Bradford has had command of the offense and he said that his surgically repaired knee has not been giving him any issues. Bradford is the clear starter as long as he is healthy and Mark Sanchez will serve as the backup quarterback.
Sanchez started games last season and some speculated that he could challenge Bradford to start, but that is likely not happening. Sanchez was okay in his first preseason game, going just 2-of-7 with 52 yards and Kelly is comfortable with him as the number two. Tebow and Barkley each played and Barkley outplayed all the QBs in the matchup, going 12-of-20 passing for 192 yards and an interception, which came on a tipped ball. Tebow went just 6-of-12 and did not look great and he likely needs to do more to stick around.
Barkley reportedly was on the trade block this offseason and moving forward it likely will come down to Barkley or Tebow as the last QB on the roster. Barkley is more of a typical backup player than Tebow and things could be decided on how Kelly wants to eventually use that third string position. If Kelly wants a solid backup player that could come in if his first QBs are injured, Barkley is his man. But if he wants some extra value and wants to use the position for gadget plays and other options, Tebow will be the pick.
Barkley said he was not concerned with the attention on Tebow and that he would concentrate on trying to play his best football. Barkley only threw one pass last season and has had just 50 attempts in two years, but Tebow has been out of the league and may still need to get adjusted to things again. Barkley could net the team a draft pick in a trade, but right now no deal is close to happening. Barkley has the chance to win his spot on the roster if he continues to outplay Tebow.
DeMarco Murray has been brought along slowly by the Eagles this offseason and in camp, as Kelly said he understood the concerns about all the touches Murray had last season. Murray had over 450 total touches last season and the Eagles are going to try and ensure he is not overworked this time around. The Eagles have Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews on the roster and both players should factor into what the team is going to do on offense. Sproles also could see time split at WR.
Check here for more on the Eagles in training camp and more on the QB situation.