The Philadelphia Eagles picked up Tim Tebow this offseason in what many thought was an attempt to make training camp a bit more competitive, but as camp closes in, there are rumors that Tebow is quickly climbing the depth chart and could steal a spot on the final roster.
The quarterback with the erratic arm and grinding running style is increasingly being seen as a great fit for Chip Kelly, and Kelly’s recent statements about Tebow have been glowing.
Kelly implied that Tim Tebow has been a very quick learner and has shown abilities he hasn’t before grasped.
“I have seen an improvement from Tim since the day we got him in terms of his knowledge of what we’re doing, understanding where everybody is,” Kelly said, via the Delaware County Times . “There’s a whole process, and for him what we have done is different than what he’s done anywhere else.
“So in terms of learning our terminology and how we do things, I think each week you’ve seen an incremental bump in him, so we’re excited to see where that takes him and it’ll be a good competition as we get into August.”
Kelly picked up Tebow in April, and at the time the team’s other quarterbacks didn’t appear to be fazed. Mark Sanchez hinted that Tebow was a “camp arm” and Matt Barkley made it a point to say he didn’t feel threatened by the signing.
“He’s not taking my reps on the field,” Barkley said of Tebow, per NJ.com . “He’s an arm we need for the team, with (former quarterback) G.J. (Kinne) making the move to receiver. Tim’s just one of us. He’s trying to make the team just like we all are. It hasn’t affected my approach to how I feel the team thinks of me or how I’m going out to compete every day.”
But now, Tim Tebow could be threatening to take a lot more than snaps away from Matt Barkley. There are rumors among Philadelphia Eagles beat writers that Tebow could be moving in on the No. 3 quarterback spot that Barkley currently occupies, which would more than likely push Barkley off the roster entirely.
The Philadelphia Eagles rumors will likely come to bear in a few weeks, when the team meets for training camp and the hypothetical gains made by Tim Tebow can be tested on the field in real time. While there are good signs now, it could end up being similar to Tebow’s last go-round in the league, when he impressed at times in training camp for the New England Patriots but stumbled in the pre-season, ultimately being cut from the team.
[Image via Getty Images]