Tim Tebow might just have locked up spot on Eagles’ 53-man roster

Playing too little or too much in the fourth preseason game can be a bad sign for a player trying to make an NFL roster. But in the case of Tim Tebow, a strong effort Thursday night against the New York Jets might mean that Tebow could make the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 1 roster.

All signs and reports had pointed toward Chip Kelly keeping Tebow, but nothing is ever clear with Kelly, who said this would be a “big week” for Tebow. If that’s the case, he made the most of it, completing 11-of-17 passes — including some nice touch throws — for 189 yards with two touchdowns and a pick.

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Tebow, in a battle with Matt Barkley for the Eagles’ third QB spot (if they keep three) behind Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez, watched Barkley start the game but struggle. His second pass of the game was picked off, and though Barkley led a field-goal drive on his next chance, he finished an unimpressive 4-of-9 passing for 45 yards with that one INT.

On the third and fourth series, Tebow moved the ball a little but ended both drives with punts. But he got the Eagles moving right before the half — against Jets second- and third-stringers, yes — and strung together big plays, taking over on his own 15-yard line with 1:49 remaining. Shaking loose from a sack to run for 17 yards. Passes for 28 and 23 yards. And after taking a sack, Tebow hit Rasheed Bailey for his first TD pass of the preseason.

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Taking over again in the fourth quarter, Tebow had a rough series after completing a pretty 45-yard touch pass, incurring a false start, getting called for intentional grounding and getting picked inside the Jets’ red zone.

But he atoned on his final possession, leading a nine-play, 45-yard TD drive capped by a 9-yard pass to Freddie Martino.

Tebow was 2-of-2 passing and had two rushes for 14 yards on the drive.

Overall, he has looked decent this preseason. Throw in some decent training-camp performances, which earned some praise from Kelly, and Tebow looks like he has a good chance to make the team and perhaps even carve out a role as a specialist. Bradford is the starter and Sanchez is the backup. Is Tebow the third? We shall see. But Thursday helped his solid cause.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm