Philadelphia Eagles still high on Matt Barkley
By Josh Sanchez
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley entered the NFL with some high expectations for himself, but he struggled greatly when he got the opportunity to take the field during his rookie season.
Despite throwing four interceptions and zero touchdowns in his two appearances, Barkley will have the opportunity to earn the No. 2 role if the team releases Michael Vick in the offseason as expected.
G.J. Kinne, who has never thrown a pass in an NFL game, is the only quarterback on the roster other than Barkley and starting signal-caller Nick Foles.
If Barkley can beat out Kinne, he will earn his role as the primary back up.
Luckily for Barkley, he appears to have Eagles head coach Chip Kelly on his side. In a recent interview, Kelly took the opportunity to sing the praises of his back up quarterback.
“Matt was awesome,” Kelly said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News. “I’m excited to get a full offseason with Matt in here to really get a chance to work with him because I think he’s got a skill set that’s exciting when you see him, how the ball comes out of his hands, the decisions that he makes, and that’s part of this whole deal.”
It will be interesting to see how the quarterback situation in Philadelphia plays out during OTAs and the preseason, but there is no doubt that Foles has earned his starting role.
The only remaining question is who will earn the No. 2 job.
If Kelly’s comments are any indication, it is safe to believe that Barkley has the inside track at earning the primary back up role.