Eagles commit to Tim Tebow by trading Matt Barkley

A FEW MONTHS from now, this might amount to little more than a footnote; we might forget why we cared. But context is everything, and on Labor Day weekend's Friday afternoon, when NFL teams were paring their rosters, what the Eagles did 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, the Eagles said, confirming a Fox Sports report. The choice is 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, lefthanded throwing motion and sporadic accuracy, is back in the league. He didn't have a great training camp, seemed slow to read progressions, but, from the time the former Heisman Trophy winner was signed 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 he traded up to take with the first pick of the fourth round of his first draft, in 2013.

That turned out to be the case, though the Eagles failed in an attempt to get the league to move the ball to the 1-yard-line for two-point conversion tries, and though through much of camp, many observers thought Barkley outperformed Tebow. Barkley certainly had a better grasp of Kelly's offense.

Kelly kept holding the door open, though, and Thursday night, Tebow, 28, 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.

Barkley started in every football game he ever played before he was drafted by the Eagles. He 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 today's 4 p.m. roster cut deadline, as teams trim from 75 to 53.

Kelly stressed Thursday night that the final game wasn't the only factor in making decisions, that this "isn't 'American Idol.' " It was an interesting turn of phrase, given that he was about to bestow his third QB spot on a guy who is famous for reasons that go far beyond football.

Kelly talked this past week about how important preseason games were to his evaluation of the quarterbacks, because they can't be touched in practice. He clearly discounts some of what he sees on the practice field for that reason. And though Barkley made his only really good throw Thursday while taking a hit - finding Trey Burton for 21 yards on fourth-and-8 from the Jets' 29 - Barkley seemed to be emphasizing his work in practice, when he was asked afterward about the competition.

"I think it's hard to really say out of those preseason games, because it's just a small sampling, what I have shown through practices, I think I've done a good job and improved in a lot of areas," Barkley said. "I'm happy with how I've played throughout camp."

Tebow, unavailable for comment yesterday, as was Barkley, talked after the game about getting "more and more comfortable" in Kelly's offense.

So far, from various sources, including other media reports, it seems the following players have been told they are being released by the Eagles, although the team hasn't announced anything:

Running back Raheem Mostert, safety Chris Prosinski, offensive lineman John Moffitt, seventh-round rookie defensive lineman Brian Mihalik, wideout Quron Pratt, offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde, sixth-round cornerback Randall Evans, offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche, defensive lineman Travis Raciti, offensive lineman Brett Boyko, linebacker Dontae Skinner, tight end Andrew Gleichert, wideout Rasheed Bailey, tight end Eric Tomlinson and punter/kicker Kip Smith.

Bailey is from Roxborough High and Delaware Valley University, and would seem a strong practice-squad candidate. Ditto Mostert, the two draftees and Bunche.

Mostert, an undrafted rookie from Purdue who was a track champion, led the Eagles with 157 rushing yards on 39 carries in the preseason. He also led the team in receiving, with 14 catches for 194 yards.

Prosinski was probably the biggest surprise among the cuts. He was a strong special teams performer last season after signing in November, following his release by Jacksonville. But the Eagles' top special teams tackler last season, Chris Maragos, is also a safety. The team might need Prosinski's spot for someone who can contribute more defensively - maybe Jerome Couplin or Ed Reynolds, or perhaps someone who isn't here yet, as players are pared from other rosters.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian