The Philadelphia Eagles may soon be showing that the Tim Tebow experiment is a success.
Rumors coming out of the team’s training camp indicate that Tebow has been outperforming his competition for the third quarterback spot, looking sharper than Matt Barkley and growing closer to cementing a spot on an NFL roster for the first time in two NFL seasons.
This week, the 27-year-old quarterback got the majority of reps with the third team, and appears to have vastly improved the accuracy issues that plagued him in the past. At one point, Tebow completed 11-of-14 passes and also gained yards on a number of designed runs.
While it’s not clear yet if Tim Tebow will overtake Matt Barkley on the roster, the International Business Times noted that his unconventional game could offer coach Chip Kelly an advantage over Barkley.
“Head coach Chip Kelly has four other quarterbacks under contract, with Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez competing for the starting job, and Matt Barkley and G.J. Kinne in the mix with Tebow for the third-string job. While Bradford and Sanchez offer experience and a more polished passing game, the hard-running Tebow can provide Kelly with a possible dual threat in the hurry-up offense. Kelly isn’t a conventional coach, and Tebow isn’t a conventional player, making Tebow’s prospects of seeing playing time all the better.”
It would be quite a turnaround story if Tim Tebow were to make the roster. After leading the Denver Broncos to an unlikely playoff win three years ago, Tebow was traded to the New York Jets in the offseason and barely saw the field again. He went to the New England Patriots the next offseason, but failed to make the roster.
But Tebow hasn’t given up on football, working with noted throwing coach Tom House.
Tebow said he’s noticed the improvements.
“Being able to continue to work this summer with Tom and [QB coach Ryan Day], I feel like I just keep getting better,” Tebow told CSN Philly . “I just tried to go over and over everything and work on my footwork and drills and everything so that it comes a little more second nature.”
There had initially been rumors that the Philadelphia Eagles only wanted Tim Tebow as a “camp arm” to take reps while Sam Bradford retired, and other reports that Chip Kelly wanted him as a two-point conversion specialist to pound defenses in short yardage situations. If the reports of his improvements continue through the preseason, many believe Tebow now has a good chance to make the roster outright.
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