The Philadelphia Eagles have some tough decisions to make this preseason, as Chip Kelly may want to keep both Tim Tebow and Kenjon Barner on the 53-man roster and this comes as Sam Bradford escaped injury after starting in the preseason against the Ravens and taking a shot to his knee.
The Eagles have a lot riding on Bradford and while Pro Football Talk writes that the hit on Bradford was legal, it surely gave Kelly some pause after it happened. Bradford ended up fine on the play and he is set to be the starter this season for the Eagles after being acquired in a trade for Nick Foles. Bradford and Mark Sanchez are the top two players on the depth chart at quarterback and Kelly now has to decide how to handle Tim Tebow and Matt Barkley.
Tebow was signed in the offseason to a contract and while Barkley was the third string quarterback last season, there were reports that he was on the trade block. Barkley only threw one pass last season despite Nick Foles missing half the year and if Tebow makes the roster, Barkley is likely gone from the Eagles. According to Dianna Marie Russini at ESPN, Barkley remains on the trade block and as things stand now, Kelly is "increasingly excited" about having Tebow and that he should make the team as long as he avoids any "major errors" through the preseason.
Russini reports that Kelly and the Eagles are still looking to trade Barkley and that the team wanted to "showcase" the quarterback in the preseason. Barkley threw for 192 yards in the first preseason game for the Eagles and he had 86 yards on six completions in the win against the Ravens. Tebow is not the typical backup quarterback, but Kelly could look at that as an advantage, as he could use Tebow in special sets and as a decoy on certain plays. Kelly has praised Tebow's running ability and said to the media that his throwing motion is improved from when he was last in the NFL.
The Eagles also have a decision to make at running back, as Kenjon Barner has played well and could earn a spot on the roster. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kelly said that Barner is making a "huge case" to stick around with the Eagles after the way he has performed in the preseason. Barner has already brought back two punt returns for touchdowns and he also has 57 totals yards on offense with 12 carries/receptions. Barner scored a rushing touchdown in the opening preseason game and had a 92-yard return.
The Eagles already have DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles on the roster and last year they kept only three running backs. The team could go back to four this year if Kelly wants to keep Barner and if he works on special teams as well, it could make it more likely that Barner gets a chance. Kelly and Barner go back to the Oregon days and the running back was signed this offseason after previously being with the team following his time with the Panthers.
