Eagles Should Turn to Matt Barkley in Week 17 If Playoffs out of Question

Following their third consecutive loss, the Philadelphia Eagles’ record dropped to 3-4 with Mark Sanchez at the helm. To be fair, the quarterback isn’t solely to blame for the Birds’ 27-24 defeat at Washington on Saturday, nor is this team’s free fall in the standings. Regardless, it’s plain to see Sanchez is not the solution under center.

The Eagles' faint hopes of reaching the playoffs now depends on the Dallas Cowboys losing to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Otherwise, Week 17 is rendered completely meaningless for Philadelphia.

Should events unfold in such a way that the Eagles have nothing on the line other than draft positioning, it might be time for Sanchez to take a seat on the bench in favor of Matt Barkley.

Sanchez is a free agent at season’s end, and he hasn’t made a very compelling argument for a new contract—at least not from Philadelphia. Sure, the numbers aren’t horrible for an understudy—a 64.1 completion percentage, 7.8 yards per attempt and 12 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in eight games—but that’s all he is.

We don’t know what Barkley is, but the third-stringer is under contract for two more years. Can he serve as the Eagles’ backup in 2015 and beyond? Can he potentially become even more than that?

Why not find out?

YR	CMP%	AVG	TD	INT
2009	59.9	7.8	15	14
2010	62.6	7.4	26	12
2011	69.1	7.9	39	7
2012	63.6	8.5	36	15

Barkley has attempted a total of 50 passes in the NFL, admittedly to little success. He failed to lead a single scoring drive in three appearances as a rookie, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for a 6.0 average with four interceptions and a fumble lost in 2013.

That being said, he wasn’t exactly put in a position to excel. Barkley entered two games when his team was already trailing, while all four picks came in the fourth quarter of those losses.

Those were not ideal situations for evaluating quarterback performance. Giving Barkley a week to prepare as the starter might wield better results, especially now that he’s deep into his second season.

None of this is to suggest Barkley will light the world on fire, much less that this will be an audition for anything other than a backup role. However, the Eagles did invest a fourth-round pick in the USC product in 2013, so it probably wouldn’t hurt to get a look at him in a meaningful game.

GM	CMP/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD/INT
Wk 1 @ CHI	7/16	73	4.6	1/1
Wk 2 @ NE	9/12	132	11.0	1/1
Wk 3 vs. PIT	4/4	37	9.3	0/0
Wk 4 vs. NYJ	21/33	253	7.7	1/1

Barkley’s preseason was not abysmal considering he worked primarily with a supporting cast that didn’t crack the 53-man roster. The 24-year-old completed 63.1 percent of his passes for a 7.6 average with three scores and three interceptions over the summer, plus one rushing touchdown—granted, against third- and fourth-string defenders.

Whatever you think of Barkley’s chances of making it in the NFL, what would the Eagles have to lose if the playoffs are already out of reach?

Assuming the Eagles are interested in retaining Sanchez for some reason, the move to Barkley won’t send the best message. But based on what we’ve seen, it’s hard to believe that will be a priority this offseason.

It’s difficult to imagine the Eagles putting Nick Foles into a meaningless game since he’s been sitting out with a broken clavicle all this time, even if doctors cleared him for action. It seems like an unnecessary risk for the club’s likely starting quarterback going into 2015, especially given the high probability Foles is rusty after all the time out.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Of course, the reality is that one game probably isn’t enough to judge Barkley. So, even if he performs well against an underwhelming New York Giants defense, what does that even mean?

On the other hand, it would be helpful to have any additional tape on Barkley at this point.

Some might laugh at the idea that Barkley can serve as the backup quarterback based on what we’ve witnessed over the course of two seasons. Others may not think it’s worth finding out, as they’d much rather see the front office add another—preferably superior—passing talent during the offseason.

The fact is, the Eagles have been developing Barkley for the better part of two years now, and they may never get a better chance to plug him into a live game and find out what he’s truly capable of. There’s no telling what shape the roster may take in 2015, but Barkley might be a part of it.

Let’s see what the kid can do, at least.