The Philadelphia Eagles surprised many by taking USC quarterback Matt Barkley in the fourth round of the NFL draft in April, but now that the quarterback is signed to a deal, does he have a chance to compete for Chip Kelly and the starting position?
According to NFL.com, Barkley and the Eagles agreed to a four year deal and the team confirmed it on their website, putting him on the roster with Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon. ESPN.com wrote on Thursday that after signing his deal, Barkley could get some looks this season as an option depending on how Foles and Vick do an there is a very good chance that he is the quarterback of the future.
Kelly likes what he has seen in Barkley after he played his senior season at USC and while he may not be in the picture much in 2013, he will be a factor going forward. The report says that Vick has the inside track this season, but depending on how the team plays, Barkley could end up sliding in as the backup rather than the third stringer and on top of that Vick is an injury prone player, especially after last year. Kelly won't be afraid to make a splash by having Barkley play some and if training camp gets off to a bad start with Vick, watch out for Barkley.
Training camp will be his best chance to show off his skills and compete and since he has top talent despite being a fourth round pick, he may have something to prove to Kelly and the team. One thing that he won't be doing though is getting out there about his Christian faith like Tim Tebow. According to Pro Football Talk, Barkley is a devout Christian just like Tebow, and while he said they have similar beliefs and is passionate, he will be keeping that mostly to himself and that he is not as outspoken as Tebow is.
Barkley is part of a crowded crop of quarterbacks and he has proven over time that it won't be an issue for him and even if he doesn't start, he will be a key contributor for Kelly, which is something that both probably never thought would happen when the quarterback was at USC and the coach at Pac-12 rival Oregon.
"We have similar beliefs, and I'm very passionate about my faith," Barkley said. "Maybe not as outspoken as Tim is, he's a passionate guy. Maybe different in how I approach that. But I'm very faithful in multiple ways, both to my team now that I'm in Philadelphia and to my God and Jesus Christ."
