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Tebow timing: QB saved best for last, sealed Barkley's departure

All along, Tim Tebow was here for a reason, something we should have remembered as we shook our heads watching him in training camp. Matt Barkley, traded to Arizona on Friday, seemed to throw in the towel Thursday night.

A couple of months from now, this might have become little more than a footnote; we might forget why we cared. But context is everything, and on a Friday afternoon when NFL teams were paring their rosters, it counted as monumental, breathtaking news.

The Eagles' final preseason game Thursday night against the Jets was what we thought it was – confirmation that Tim Tebow will back up Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez, and that Matt Barkley's time with the Eagles was at an end.

The Arizona Cardinals agreed to send a seventh-round draft choice to the Eagles for Barkley, a league source said, and the Eagles confirmed, the choice conditional upon Barkley spending at least six games this season on the Arizona roster.

That means that Tebow, out of the NFL for two seasons, widely mocked for his awkward lefthand throwing motion and erratic accuracy, Evangelical Christianity's most visible sporting face, is back in the league. He didn't have a great training camp and was slow to read progressions, but from the time he was signed back in the spring, it seemed likely Eagles coach Chip Kelly had some sort of plan in mind. You don't invite the kind of scrutiny that signing a polarizing player such as Tebow invites just on a whim.

What seemed likely at the time was that over two seasons, Kelly had seen all he wanted to see from Barkley, the former USC star Kelly traded up to take with the first pick of the fourth round of Kelly's first draft, in 2013.

That turned out to be the case, though through much of camp, many observers felt Barkley was outperforming Tebow. Barkley certainly showed a better grasp of Kelly's offense.

Kelly kept holding the door open, though, and Thursday night, Tebow rambled through it. He accounted for 15 of the Eagles' 18 points, completing 11 of 17 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns and a fourth-down desperation interception. He also ran four times for 32 yards.

And though Barkley didn't say so afterward, he played Thursday's showdown like a man who wanted to move on, going a listless 4-for-9 for 45 yards, no touchdowns, and probably the worst interception any Eagles QB threw this preseason, a horribly underthrown ball on the opening series that underscored concerns about his arm strength.

Barkley, a starter in every football game in which he ever played before he was drafted by the Eagles, could hardly be blamed for wanting a fresh start. Now he gets it, on a team with a 35-year-old starter, Carson Palmer, and a 31-year-old backup in Drew Stanton. The Cards also have 2014 fourth-rounder Logan Thomas, at least until the Saturday 4 p.m. roster cut deadline, as teams trim rosters from 75 to 53.

The Eagles didn't announce any cuts, but so far, from various sources, including other media reports, it seems the following players have been told they are being released.

Safety Chris Prosinski, offensive lineman John Moffitt, seventh-round rookie defensive lineman Brian Mihalik, wideout Quron Pratt, offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde, sixth-round corner Randall Evans, offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche, defensive lineman Travis Raciti, offensive lineman Brett Boyko, linebacker Dontae Skinner, tight end Andrew Gleichert, wideout Rasheed Bailey and punter/kicker Kip Smith. Bailey is from Roxborough High and Delaware Valley University, and would seem a strong practice-squad candidate. Ditto the two draftees and Bunche.

Prosinski, a strong special teams player last season, probably ranks as the only surprise in that group.