Matt Barkley should start at quarterback against the Giants in Week 17

Over a three-week span, the Eagles went from a conference contender to late-season fodder. With losses to the Seahawks, Cowboys and Redskins, the Eagles took themselves out of playoff contention after a 6-2 start to the season. With quarterback play clearly being one of the many issues that caused the late-season collapse, perhaps it is time to see what the team has in its third passer.

Matt Barkley has never started a game or thrown a touchdown pass in the regular season, despite being the first and only quarterback drafted by Chip Kelly. While he has been just a little bit more than a topic of discussion to this point, Barkley may be worth giving a chance to in a game that largely means nothing. Sanchez has performed like a backup since taking over for an injured Nick Foles, who is still nursing a broken collarbone. The team and fans know what he is and there is really nothing he can prove in the Giants game. However, Barkley could prove a point next Sunday, one way or another.

If Barkley has an awful game, then you calmly and confidently move on from him in the offseason. If he plays well, you can shop him for used dish towels or perhaps, a conditional pick or you can keep him as the third but malcontent quarterback on the roster throughout the offseason. Either way, playing Barkley over Sanchez makes sense from an information standpoint. This is a road game that means nothing, why not give it some propose by testing out a barely-used, highly-ridiculed asset?

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the Eagles are in a difficult spot at the position. Foles is once again a question mark, Sanchez clearly isn't the answer to anything but a Trivial Pursuit question and the team will likely miss out on drafting Marcus Mariota. While testing Barkley won't solve the problem, giving him playing time will give the team more perspective on his future. Like Foles, he's cheap and if he can perform well enough, perhaps the Eagles opt to keep him over Sanchez or another reclamation project while taking a shot on a Day 2 rookie passer.

All of this is clearly conjecture, but the logic is there.