The Philadelphia Eagles have mandatory minicamp this week and after training camp this summer Chip Kelly could consider the trade or release of Tim Tebow or Matt Barkley, as they are battling to be the third string quarterback behind Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez on the depth chart and this comes as rookie Nelson Agholor likely will be a starter along with Jordan Matthews in the offense alongside DeMarco Murray.
The Eagles have a number of questions coming into camp workouts, as Sam Bradford is still not yet fully healthy and that could help Kelly decide how to handle the QB situation. According to ESPN reporter Phil Sheridan, the team is likely not keeping four quarterbacks and that means either Tebow or Barkley could be let go. Barkley was reportedly on the trading block heading into the NFL draft and coming out of camp he could be out as the third stringer if he does not perform well in camp.
Tebow is not a regular NFL quarterback, but Kelly may see that as a positive moving forward when compared to Barkley. Last season Barkley threw just one pass with Nick Foles out eight games and that showed how much confidence Kelly had in Barkley. Tebow adds some value as a short yardage threat and as a weapon on two point conversions, while Barkley is simply another third string quarterback. Kelly likes maximizing talent on his roster and he could do that by letting Barkley go in favor of Tebow.
With Bradford still coming back from surgery, Barkley and Tebow will be able to get their reps and that likely will dictate how Kelly moves forward in the future. Nelson Agholor comes in after a strong season with USC and ESPN reporter Phil Sheridan writes that he likely will be in the starting lineup with Jordan Matthews this season.
Tebow was signed in the offseason after a workout for the Eagles and Pro Football Talk reported that Tebow looked much better than he did when he was in training camp with the Patriots in 2013. Sam Bradford is locked in as the starting quarterback and Sanchez showed last season that he can handle being the backup. Kelly now has to decide on who to bring on as the third quarterback, as GJ Kinne is moving to receiver.
Sanchez comes in after throwing for 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season and he completed a career best 64 percent of his passes. Sanchez had 2418 yards and was very solid in Kelly's unique offense and the coach feels comfortable using him again if Bradford goes down. The Tebow-Barkley situation will be most important if this happens, as Kelly will want the best backup to be the third stringer if Bradford goes down and Sanchez has to start.
