Philadelphia Eagles fans won't get to see quarterback Sam Bradford when the team takes the field for their preseason-opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. They may not see much of presumed back-up Mark Sanchez either. No, from the sounds of Eagles head coach Chip Kelly's press conference on Friday, it's going to be "a lot" of Tim Tebow and Matt Barkley.
"We want to see Barkley and Tim play a while," Kelly said, via Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk.com.
Much has already been made about the bottom of the quarterback back depth chart battle between Tebow and Barkley in Philly. Barkley is entering his third year in the league and despite at one time being a highly touted NFL prospect, hasn't been able to even come close to cracking the Philly lineup behind Foles, Sanchez and now Bradford.
Tebow, on the other hand, represents a highly intriguing option for Kelly. While he won't be the two-point conversion specialist some touted him as when the Eagles first signed him, he does offer a versatility and a culture fit that few others can. His throwing motion seems to have improved after months working with quarterback guru Tom House and recent reports have suggested that he's looking the part of an actual NFL signal-caller.
Sunday's game against Indianapolis should provide a good indication of where each player is at.
While Bradford, who hasn't taken a regular season snap in nearly 20 months and is still getting acclimated to the Eagle offense, is likely upset at this decision, Kelly indicated that he's onboard with it.
"Sam understands," Kelly said, via Zach Berman of Philly.com. "I think he's disappointed, but I think he understands. It wasn't a debate."
Considering Bradford's lengthy injury history - he hasn't taken a snap since last August, when he tore his ACL for the second time - it makes sense that Kelly would want to limit exposure for the player he traded a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and quarterback Nick Foles for.