When the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to the top of the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft for Matt Barkley, it was tough to not like the move. Had Barkley declared for the draft instead of returning to college, he was projected to be a surefire first-round pick.  So snagging him where they got him was a win for the Eagles as Barkley was expected to develop into a solid backup passer.

On paper, Barkley has the most important traits Chip Kelly values in his players. Barkley is extremely football-intelligent and can diagnose defensive alignments and react accordingly. He’s pretty accurate when he has time to set himself into a throw, and that accuracy translates well when he’s running outside the pocket. And his character is tremendous; there’s certainly no worry about his ability to lead the team both on and off the field. He’s a safe prospect and is smart enough to handle whatever is thrown at him.

But things haven’t exactly worked out in Barkley’s favor, and he’s now in a position where he’s fighting for his life in Philadelphia. Barkley must know things are bad when Mark Sanchez is brought in off the streets and given the role he had been working on earning. Handling pressure, hitting deep throw and not staring down targets are all things that Barkley has struggled with, and that’s the big reason why Kelly is keeping him on the bench. For as much time as Barkley has had with the offense, his improvement hasn’t reflected that.

As a result, Barkley is going to have to fend off the likes of Tim Tebow if he wants to keep his roster spot. Tebow supposedly has improved his mechanics enough to where Kelly thinks he’s worth a second look. And while Tebow can’t exactly hurdle himself over a high-set bar, Barkley’s set it low enough to where Tebow has a shot. So Barkley is going to have to start showing something quickly; I expect that if he does do that, he can fend off Tebow and stick around for at least one more year. Down the line Barkley will have to wrestle the job away from Sanchez, which he conceivably could do because both are really built the same way. Both have the ceiling of an average game manager, and while Sanchez isn’t all that great, he’s still noticeably better than Barkley.

In the end I expect Barkley to be the third-string quarterback in 2015. All things remaining as they are, I think his experience with the offense is going to be enough to hold off Tebow. But past this season, he’s on the hot seat in the worst way — there doesn’t seem to be much confidence in him coming from the team. What works in Barkley’s favor is that he’s enough like Sanchez to the point where if he can improve enough, he can offer that same skillset at a fraction of the cost. Kelly seems to think that’s enough from a backup quarterback, so the path to a long-term job in the league is there. Barkley just has to step up and take it.

Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.