The Philadelphia Eagles gave all of the quarterbacks on their roster the silent endorsement by not trading up and acquiring Marcus Mariota like everyone expected them to. Head coach Chip Kelly decided to stay put with Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and now Tim Tebow. If contracts dictate the depth chart, Bradford will be the starter in 2015 for Philadelphia. However, Sanchez made it clear that he is expecting an open competition for the job.
According to CSNPhilly.com, Sanchez is prepared for a quarterback competition regardless of what anyone says. He is the quarterback with the most experience in Chip Kelly's offense right now after starting nine games last season and tossing 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in place of the injured Nick Foles. Sanchez came into Philadelphia looking for a second chance after a failed stint with the New York Jets and did a little help raise his stock. The Eagles were confidence enough to re-sign him to the tune of a two-year, $9 million deal and Sanchez is confident that means he has a chance to start.
"Absolutely," Sanchez said. "That's the way I understand it." "Really just talking with Coach Kelly and knowing I'm coming with the opportunity to compete for the starting job. That was important to me. There were some other opportunities out there, but I didn't want to switch systems again. On a one-year deal, it's different for maybe a defensive player then for an offensive player, especially a quarterback. You've got to learn a whole new language again. I started to feel real comfortable and I felt like to be honest, personally, there's some unfinished business we left out there. I know I can play a little bit better than that. I know we can get this team in the playoffs. I think we have the talent to do that."
As of right now, Sanchez is the likely starter simply because Bradford is rehabbing an ACL injury. When the Eagles traded for Bradford, Kelly did not guarantee him the starting job, but made it clear that he is the favorite. However, if Sanchez can take hold of the additional first-team reps, he might be able to win the coaching staff over. It remains to be seen whether or not Sanchez will be given a fighting chance considering the spotlight will not be on him this offseason, but on Tebow.
Sanchez told the media via ESPN.com that he under the impression that Tebow was merely a camp arm and had no chance of getting the starting job. However, Kelly countered that by saying he liked what he saw in Tebow and had faith in him. As a result, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport is reporting that Barkley is on the trade block for any team looking for quarterback help. If Barkley gets traded, Tebow could be guaranteed a roster spot.
