The Philadelphia Eagles are going to sit quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez for their exhibition finale on Sunday night, setting the stage for a wide-open competition for the No. 3 position on the roster.Matt Barkley, the Eagles' fourth-round selection in 2013, said he would take the first snaps in that contest.
"I'll be excited, first start," he said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Excited to get in a rhythm early on, get my feet going, get the ball moving. I don't feel any pressure at all. I don't think it's anything but just an exciting opportunity. I've been in this place to impress."
Barkley and No. 4 option Tim Tebow are two very different quarterbacks. The former is an orthodox pocket passer and the latter, while having improved in his passing accuracy and timing, is the more wild-card choice. A superior athlete and powerful runner, he can provide the Eagles with a different batch of formations and looks for opposing defenses that Barkley cannot.
With the extension of the point-after tries this season, and the sudden habit Eagles kicker Cody Parkey has of missing those attempts this preseason, a potential two-point conversion specialist job, among other opportunities, could keep Tebow on the roster when it gets cut down to 53 men.
Head coach Chip Kelly says he has been impressed with both quarterbacks, though with two conventional passers already in Bradford and Sanchez, Barkley could be expendable, and is likely being given the starting nod on Sunday in the hopes of impressing potential trade partners.
Barkley, formerly of USC, has gone 23-of-43 for 306 passing yards and an interception through three appearances this summer. Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner at Florida, completed 10-of-19 for 97 yards through the air, adding 50 yards rushing and a touchdown in the exhibition opener.
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