April 20, 2015
Tim Tebow officially signed with the Eagles today, joining Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and GJ Kinne at quarterback. It is one-year contract, the details of which we will update as we learn more.
Tebow's addition to the team will be fun for the fan base, print media, and sports radio to discuss, but probably doesn't mean all that much to the team itself. The chances of Eagles fans ever saying "Tim Tebow (won/lost) that game today" are extremely small, especially the "won" part.
In the past the Eagles have carried five quarterbacks during training camp, so they can maximize the number of reps they can give to receivers, tight ends, and running backs running the route tree during practice. Here's a video I shot during 2013 OTAs in which 15 different receivers get a rep in under 35 seconds:
By my count, Tebow is the ninth QB Chip Kelly has had on his roster since he took over as head coach of the Eagles. Tebow's name is larger than life, but in Philadelphia, he's probably little more than another arm for camp who can double as a body on special teams, like Eagles practice squad QB GJ Kinne has done in the past. Tebow played on special teams in regular season games with the Jets, and is a 6'3, 240 pound stout athlete who can hold his own against linebackers on kick coverage. Chip Kelly doesn't just value versatility from the 46 players who suit up every Sunday -- He values versatility from all 90 of the players he'll bring to camp, and Tebow can be a versatile practice player, for whatever that is worth.
In terms of what it means to the other quarterbacks on the roster, we'll look at them individually:
• Sam Bradford: Bradford will either be the starting QB of the Eagles in 2015, or he will have been dealt to to some other team. Tebow's arrival means nothing to Bradford.
• Mark Sanchez: Again, nothing. Sanchez will be the #2 in 2015.
• Matt Barkley: The Eagles have been trying to trade Barkley for at least a year. That won't change. Perhaps there's a Barkley-Tebow link in that the Eagles signed Tebow because they already knew Barkley would be gone one way or the other. But the reality is that the Eagles can cut or trade Barkley whenever they'd like, and Tebow is unlikely to receive any guaranteed money on his deal either. One action doesn't necessarily mean anything to the other.
• GJ Kinne: As noted above, Kinne occasionally fills in as a body on special teams during training camp, so Tebow could have a similar role. But really, who gives a crap how a signing affects GJ Kinne?
• Kyle Shurmur (Pat Shurmur's son): Last training camp, the Eagles only carried four QBs, so Shurmur's kid (who is now heading to Vanderbilt this year to play QB) or Chip Kelly himself often filled in as the 5th QB in the drill in the video above. Shurmur is big (6'4, 210), he has a good arm, and is accurate:
But that's the guy who should be the most worried about his job.
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