Chip Kelly On Tim Tebow: ‘I Have Seen An Improvement’

USA Today

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is a man that likes to do his own thing. Kelly turned the Oregon Ducks into a powerhouse in college football with a unique style of play that has endured over the years and is attempting to do the same with the Eagles in the NFL.

Although Kelly has faced a lot of criticism since taking over the team in 2013, the 51-year-old is molding the Eagles into the team he wants rather than the team everyone else feels he should have. Kelly continues to stay the course with his tactics as head coach and general manager without any regrets.

One of Kelly’s many controversial and questionable moves made by Kelly during the NFL offseason has been bringing in quarterback Tim Tebow. The two-time BCS champion may have been out of football since being released by the New England Patriots in August of 2013, but Kelly believes the former college superstar can bring something to the team.

Kelly recently gave an update on Tebow’s progress in Philadelphia saying the following, via Bob Grotz of the Delaware County Daily Times:

“I have seen an improvement from Tim since the day we got him in terms of his knowledge of what we’re doing, understanding where everybody is,” Kelly said. “There’s a whole process, and for him what we have done is different than what he’s done anywhere else. So in terms of learning our terminology and how we do things, I think each week you’ve seen an incremental bump in him, so we’re excited to see where that takes him and it’ll be a good competition as we get into August.”

Tebow’s spot on the Eagles roster is by no means set in stone. The veteran quarterback may have the ability to play Kelly’s offense well and be a part of clear packages that the team comes up with, but he’s not guaranteed a spot on the roster.

With Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, and Matt Barkley already on the roster, Tebow has some stiff competition to be on the quarterback depth chart come Week 1. Obviously, all three of the quarterbacks come with a fair amount of downside, but it would be safe to say Tebow is at the bottom of the chart as of right now.

It’ll be interesting to see if Tebow can put pressure on any of these veterans before the upcoming NFL season gets underway for the Eagles on Sept. 14.