With the final preseason game in the books, now comes decision time for many of the Eagles.
The 53-man roster must be complete by Saturday, and there are plenty of decisions for the Eagles to make between now and then.
All in all, it was a solid effort by the Eagles reserves, but a usual theme showed. No team, not even the Eagles — who appeared to have all the depth in the world after the first preseason game — looks good using second and third-string players on a full-time basis. But those roster spots must be filled as well.
There was one battle in particular spotlighted more than others: the third quarterback. If based on Week 4 alone, the final audition, Tim Tebow stood out as the favorite for the job.
Tebow was 11-for-17 for 189 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Matt Barkley was just 4-for-9 for 45 yards and an interception.
Barkley is a veteran of Chip Kelly's system, one of the coach's first draft picks. Tebow was brought on as a free agent this season. For Barkley to still look so average after three years in the organization and Tebow to look more fit for the offense after just four games, you have to think Tebow gets the nod.
This is just one of the many speculations to be had, and as Kelly said, the decision will be made based on the preseason as a whole, not just this game.
Realistically, Tebow was the better quarterback on the field on Thursday. He made the big time plays. Both of his touchdowns came on redzone plays when pressure was high. His first, to receiver Rasheed Bailey, came with under a minute to play in the first half. His second, a corner pass to Freddie Martino, came on fourth down.
Barkley made a nice play on fourth down himself, but it was really his only shining moment of the night.
Other Notes
While Kenjon Barner likely locked up a roster spot in the first three games of the preseason, Raheem Mostert made a strong case for his own spot on Thursday. If the Eagles are lucky enough to keep him through the waiver process, he's a lock for the practice squad.
The two receivers that made the strongest case on Thursday were both pushing for a practice squad spot most likely. Bailey was strong again, and the Del Val product seems to be a lock for the practice squad. And Martino made a strong push to stick around as well. The Eagles seem pretty set at receiver with at least three tight ends — Zach Ertz, Brent Celek and Trey Burton — and five receivers — Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff, Riley Cooper and Miles Austin — but they could certainly keep these two around within the organization.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
