Philadelphia Eagles: Expectations for Tim Tebow

It’s official. The most popular backup quarterback in NFL history is once again making headlines in pro football.

Despite not playing in a regular season game since 2012, Tim Tebow was signed to a one-year deal by the Philadelphia Eagles on April 19. Tebow joins a very crowded quarterback room in Philadelphia with signal callers Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, and G.J. Kinne already in the mix.

That being said, what can we expect from Tebow in 2015?

Since Bradford missed the entire 2014 season with a knee injury and Mark Sanchez missed the entire 2013 season with a shoulder injury, I think Philadelphia needs this kind of depth at the quarterback position heading into training camp. To me, having a multitude of passers means head coach Chip Kelly is simply hedging his bets on both Bradford and Sanchez. That’s not to say that all five quarterbacks will be on the Eagles’ opening day roster, but it gives Philadelphia a whole lot of insurance should one of their top two quarterbacks succumbs to another serious injury.

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Ultimately, I think Tim Tebow was signed by the Eagles to compete against Barkley and Kinne for the number three position on the depth chart. And quite frankly, I really like Tebow’s chances of sticking to the roster. In limited playing time, Matt Barkley has not exactly set the world on fire during his first two NFL seasons. The former USC standout has compiled a grand total of zero touchdowns and four interceptions while posting a quarterback passer rating of 43.8.

G.J. Kinne meanwhile, has never thrown a regular season NFL pass, and once played in the Arena Football League as well as the defunct United Football League. Conventional wisdom suggests that if Kelly is not sold on either Barkley or Kinne as his number three quarterback, he should just draft a new passer in the upcoming draft. After all, why rehash the Tim Tebow experiment that was a colossal failure in New York and New England? I think the answer to this question lies in Kelly’s usage of the read option.

In addition to the vertical passing attack, Chip Kelly likes to feature mobile quarterbacks that can take off and scramble for extra yardage. While at the University of Florida, Tebow excelled in Urban Myer’s option offense. Therefore, I believe Tebow brings that added dimension of athleticism to the quarterback position that was previously lacking in Kelly’s offensive game plan. While Tebow’s passing skills leaves plenty to be desired, I can envision Kelly using Tebow as a “wildcat” quarterback in certain situations.

Aug 22, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow (5) on the sidelines in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

After some initial success in the NFL, the wildcat craze has died down considerably since it was unveiled by the Miami Dolphins in 2008. I’m certainly not suggesting that a steady diet of the wildcat will work at the NFL level, but I do think a mad scientist like Chip Kelly is willing to roll the dice on the wildcat offense as a situational package. In my opinion, there is no better player to implement this extra wrinkle to an offensive attack than Tim Tebow.

Tim Tebow was shown the door in Denver after the signing of Peyton Manning. As a member of the New York Jets, Tebow’s career was completely mismanaged by a bumbling franchise who had no idea how to utilize his talents, or anyone else’s for that matter. In New England, Tebow was expected to make the roster as a conventional pocket passer which is like trying to put a round peg in a square hole. With the Eagles, I think Kelly understands what Tebow can and can’t do, and isn’t afraid of the media circus that may ensue.

Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly looks on against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

With newly acquired running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, I think the addition of Tebow in short yardage, goal line, or red zone situations could pose an interesting set of problems for a defense. While Tebow will never be the most accurate passer, I think he could deliver the ball to tight ends Brent Celek or Zach Ertz in a condensed part of the field if the defense is preoccupied with stopping the run.

In my opinion, Tim Tebow does not have what it takes to be a conventional starting quarterback. His throwing motion will never be perfect, going through progressions was never his strong point, and expecting Tebow to throw 20 or more times a game is completely out of the question.

However, Tebow brings a unique skill set to the game that can help a team win if he lands with a head coach that is patient enough to know how to utilize his talents. Taking all of this into consideration, I think Tebow’s opportunity to contribute to an NFL team has finally arrived in Philadelphia.

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