August 31, 2015
Michael Perez/AP
Chip used to call Barkley "Barks" and Tebow "Timmy." Now they're just "Matt" and "Tim." Ruh roh.
In 2014, there were 15 teams -- Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Browns, Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, Jaguars, Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, and Vikings -- that kept just two quarterbacks on their roster. That is almost half the league.
When asked if keeping just two quarterbacks was a consideration or if the Eagles would be sticking with three, Chip Kelly said, "We haven't really discussed the exact number of anything. We have these two days (of practice), and then we have the big game against the Jets before we start to say 'I'm keeping four tight ends or three running backs or two quarterbacks or nine defensive backs.' We really haven't gotten to that point yet."
At a minimum, it would seem the Eagles are at least open to the possibility of keeping just two. In his first two seasons as the head coach in Philly, the Eagles' roster wasn't nearly as deep as it is today.
"I think we have more depth," said Kelly last week. "So I believe we'll cut some players that will make other rosters ... Definitely more difficult (to make cuts) this year than it was in the last two years."
Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow have not looked good in any of the three preseason games. Barkley had a few nice throws in the first preseason game against the Colts, but he had not shown enough talent in other areas of his overall game to make up for his below-average arm strength. Meanwhile, Tebow simply does not look like an NFL quarterback. For example, Tebow tried to run this ball in against the Ravens (he didn't make it):
In the past, the NFL had a rule where teams could keep 45 players active on game day, with one spot for a third "emergency quarterback." That emergency QB rule no longer exists, as teams can now simply dress 46 players. With a far deeper roster this year, it's hard to make a case that Tebow or Barkley should make the team over some of the other position players who have actually, you know, played well.
