The Philadelphia Eagles may consider the trade or release of Tim Tebow or Matt Barkley this summer after mandatory minicamp and training camp depending on who wins the third string job behind Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford at quarterback and this comes as Nelson Agholor is expected to start as a rookie alongside Jordan Matthews and DeMarco Murray on offense.
The Eagles signed Tebow this offseason and he is competing with Barkley to see who will be the third quarterback on the roster for Chip Kelly. The team is set with Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez at the top of the depth chart and with the way Kelly builds his roster, it's very likely only one other quarterback will remain with the team. Mandatory minicamp is finishing up for the Eagles and this could be a crucial time for Tebow and Barkley, as this is the final set of offseason workouts for the team.
Kelly may not make a move on one of the quarterbacks until training camp, but the seeds of that decision could be sown in the performance during this week of workouts. Barkley was reportedly on the trade block during the NFL draft this year, but the team did not work out a deal with the quarterback. The Eagles added Tebow this offseason and Kelly said that he would get a chance to compete to make the team. Once Sam Bradford is fully healthy, Kelly could make a move.
Barkley was drafted two years ago and he was the third string quarterback last season for the Eagles. The way Barkley was used last year does not bode well for him moving forward, but that doesn't mean he will be the one to go. Last season Nick Foles was out for half the season and that made Sanchez the starter with Barkley the backup, but he threw only one pass all year. Barkley has 50 pass attempts in two seasons and with Bradford coming in, it will be tough for him to stick around if Tebow performs well.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News, Barkley is "no lock" to have the number three job moving forward and the performances in training camp and minicamp likely will dictate things. Tebow has a leg up on Barkley, as he can bring more value to the roster for Kelly even though he is not a "conventional" quarterback. Tebow can be a weapon on short yardage situations and on two point conversions and for a unique offensive coach like Kelly, Barkley throwing one pass last season and the potential of using Tebow is an easy decision to make.
That is one of the main questions for the Eagles heading into minicamp and so is the health of Sam Bradford moving forward. Bradford is slowly coming back and the team is working through numerous changes to the roster, including with Evan Mathis getting cut. Nelson Agholor was taken in the first round by Kelly and ESPN Eagles reporter Phil Sheridan reports that he is nearly "100 percent certain to start" for the Eagles this season. Agholor was very productive in college and he could be a strong number two along with Jordan Matthews in the offense for Kelly.
