While the Tim Tebow addition by the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly was laughed off by some and ignored by others, it seems Tebow's chances of actually make the Philly roster and, more importantly, seeing actual game time, may be increasing as the days pass. Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com is hearing not only that Tebow's chances of sticking are on the rise, but that Tebow's main competition for the third spot on the Eagles quarterback depth chart, Matt Barkley, remains available for trade.
"Over the last few weeks, chatter among some people who are plugged in with the team believe that the Eagles didn't just sign Tim Tebow because he's a nice guy, or a 'camp arm.' Their sentiment is that the Eagles not only intend to keep him, but they intend to use him," Kempski reports.
This, of course, flies in the fact of just about everything that's been reported regarding Tebow to this point - despite Tebow's work with vaunted quarterback guru Tom House this offseason, most reports have indicated that his windup is still long and still awkward and that his accuracy issues haven't disappeared - but it seems Kempski's assertion is actually rooted in quite a bit of fact.
"Of course, Tebow will have to beat out incumbent third-string quarterback Matt Barkley," writes Kempski. "A strong argument against Barkley is that the Eagles have been willing to trade him for well over a year now, and according to a source, they're not exactly looking for much."
Barkley may represent more of the pocket-passer prototype, but it's not his style that's probably got him in Kelly's doghouse. In two seasons in Philly and the NFL, Barkley, the former USC standout, has amassed all of 30 completions, four interceptions and three fumbles. He's failed to make a positive impression despite the unsettled nature of the Eagles quarterback position and seems to very much be on the outside looking in at the outset of his third training camp with the team.
While it's probably not fair to hypothetically put Tebow onto the roster simply because Barkley isn't performing up to snuff, as Kempski notes, there could be more behind the potential move. Tebow has proven to be an extremely effective goal line weapon during his time in the NFL. As a member of the Broncos, Tebow scored a whopping nine times on 11 rushing attempts inside the red zone between the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
As shown by Kelly's experimentation with wide receiver Brad Smith in the Wildcat last year, he's always looking for innovative new ways to punch the ball across the goal line. While some had guessed that Tebow's addition could be tied to the NFL's competition committee possibly moving the two-point extra try up to the one-yard line, their decision not to do that poked a lot of holes in theories as to why Kelly had brought the former first-round pick onboard.
While Tebow has little chance of seeing a lot of playing time unless Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez both suffer major injuries, it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility, especially at this point, that he could, in fact, make the team and even take some red zone snaps. The notion that Kelly needs a "running" quarterback seems to have been debunked. But the idea that he's a mad football scientist determined to find any and every way to give his team an advantage seems very, very real.
