Eagles sign Tebow

[9/8/15] Tebow Time has come to an end, not with a whimper but, typically, with a question mark.  For instance, do touchdowns simply not count for as many points when he scores them, or does Tebow score every one of his touchdowns simply by accident?

[9/5/15] Chip Kelly had us going for a bit there.

Quarterback Tim Tebow has been cut by the Eagles (first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter) as they whittle their roster down to the league-mandated 53 this week.

Tebow had a solid final showing in the preseason and appeared to be on solid footing after the Eagles traded Matt Barkley — who appeared to be Tebow's biggest competition for a roster spot — to the Cardinals on Friday. But Kelly said even though Tebow improved, it wasn't enough to earn him a spot on their roster.

“Tim’s really progressed, but we didn’t feel like he was good enough to be the three right now,” Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said. “He just needs to get out there and get more reps.”

The Eagles now will go with two quarterbacks, Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez, for now, but Kelly said a third will be added — either to the active roster or the practice squad.

“We’re going to add a third quarterback. If we add him to the active we won’t add a practice squad quarterback, if we add him to the practice squad we won’t add one to the roster. We won’t have four quarterbacks,” Kelly said.

Keep an eye on Christian Ponder, who was cut by the Oakland Raiders; NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Eagles have interest in him.

Tebow's NFL career, meanwhile, is on life support. This appeared to be his best chance to revive his once-intriguing NFL career, which featured a slew of comebacks and buzzworthy performances with the Denver Broncos, but fizzled there once they acquired Peyton Manning and sent Tebow packing following a playoff loss in the 2011 season.

He now has been cut the past few seasons by the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Eagles and a return to broadcasting for ESPN or the SEC Network would appear to be in the offing.

Could Kelly reach out to Tebow for a lifeline if the injury-prone Bradford goes down or things dramatically change? Maybe, but it appears very unlikely based on Kelly's comments.

You can bet that the ever-determined former Heisman Trophy winner, who has never waivered in his desire to continue on in the NFL, will continue to stay in shape and hope for one more shot. But for now, Tebow is not in the NFL — he last played a regular-season game on Dec. 30, 2012, nearly a thousand days ago — and we frankly wonder if or when that next chance might ever come.

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PHILADELPHIA » The Philadelphia Eagles have signed quarterback Tim Tebow to a one-year contract, giving the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner his first shot in the NFL since the Patriots cut him before the 2013 season.

The team announced the deal Monday but did not disclose financial terms.

Tebow hasn't played in the NFL since 2012 with the New York Jets. He worked as a television analyst last year with the SEC Network and ESPN.

The 27-year-old player is still highly popular after leading Florida to two national titles and spending two seasons with the Denver Broncos. Many fans follow Tebow because of his strong Christian beliefs.

The Eagles already have four other quarterbacks on their roster: Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and G.J. Kinne.

Tebow worked out for the Eagles last month and Chip Kelly later said that he's always "been a fan of Tim."

Tebow had some success in Denver — including a playoff win over Pittsburgh in January 2012 — but struggled with accuracy. He was known for running the ball and improvising.

Kelly has had one of the busiest offseasons in the NFL, bringing in Tebow, Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray while trading away Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy and allowing Jeremy Maclin to leave in free agency.