The Philadelphia Eagles have put Matt Barkley on the trade block and if the quarterback is traded this offseason, head coach Chip Kelly may look at signing Tim Tebow as a free agent and this comes after the team traded Nick Foles for Sam Bradford and along with the Cleveland Browns the Eagles may target Marcus Mariota in the draft.
Kelly was given control over the Eagles roster this offseason and he has put his unique stamp on it already. Kelly traded leading running back LeSean McCoy for linebacker Kiko Alonso and also added DeMarco Murray on a free agent deal. Kelly signed back Mark Sanchez and also brought in Byron Maxwell and Sam Bradford, basically reshaping the roster at most key positions.
According to NBC Washington's Dianna Marie Russini, the Eagles are interested in signing Tebow and they are currently shopping Barkley in a trade and if the quarterback is moved, Philadelphia likely will bring in Tebow on a contract. Kelly worked out Tebow a couple weeks ago and the team said they were doing their "homework" on the quarterback.
Pro Football Talk reported that the Eagles would be willing to take a "high round draft pick" for Barkley in a trade. The team could look at releasing Barkley, but right now they have no incentive to do that until they are sure they cannot trade him, as no other teams are currently looking at Tebow. Barkley has not played much since being drafted and if he is traded, Kelly could move quickly to sign Tebow.
The Eagles made a big change by trading for Bradford and after that move, many speculated that Kelly would look at trading Bradford to try and get Marcus Mariota. Following the trade, Kelly spoke with the media and said that Bradford was not a trade chip and that the team will not "mortgage the future" for one player, referring to Mariota. Kelly and Mariota have been linked due to their time at Oregon and the potential fit that Mariota would be for the Eagles offense.
Kelly gave up some decent compensation for Bradford and that could mean he is content with sticking with Bradford as his QB. According to Pro Football Talk, the Cleveland Browns offered a trade to the Rams for Bradford and the team could remain interested in trying to acquire the QB. The Browns have been linked to Bradford and they also are one of the teams interested in trading up for Marcus Mariota.
The Eagles also added Miles Austin this offseason, signing him to a one year deal that is worth $2.3 million and it also has incentives in the contract. Austin is 30 and has dealt with injury issues over the past few seasons and he comes in after playing for the Browns last season and the Cowboys before that. Austin played in 12 games last year and had 47 catches for 568 yards and two touchdowns before ending the season on IR.
Austin will add some depth for the Eagles, who lost Jeremy Maclin in free agency and now have Jordan Matthews and Riley Cooper as their main receivers. The team also has Josh Huff and they may look at drafting another receiver after getting rid of DeSean Jackson during last offseason, making it two years in a row the team has lost their number one WR.
