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Tim Tebow on opportunity with the Eagles: 'What a blessing'

Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

The pressure is clearly on Tim Tebow to earn a roster spot with the Philadelphia Eagles in what may be his last NFL opportunity, but the quarterback is trying to stay in the moment.

Tebow told reporters after Thursday's practice he's looking at this opportunity as a blessing.

"I think about it as, what a blessing," Tebow said. "What a great opportunity. I work extremely hard every day, try to be the best teammate I can, the best player. Try to make everybody else around me better as well. All of us are just trying to improve."

The former Heisman winner added that being away from the game has made him appreciate this chance that much more.

"All I know is that I'm enjoying this process," Tebow said. "I'm going to take it day by day and try to get better. And also enjoy the opportunities. I think sometimes when things get taken away, you don't realize how much fun it is to come out here and play this game. You can't play it forever. I'm going to enjoy it."

If Tebow earns a spot on the Eagles' final roster, he's going to do so as a quarterback.

Head coach Chip Kelly made it clear to reporters Thursday that Tebow was brought in to play one position only.

"He's a quarterback," Kelly said, Marc Sessler of NFL.com reports. "That's how we're looking at Timmy. We're not looking at him at any other position."

Kelly said the Eagles always planned to have a fourth passer, but weren't overly impressed by any of this year's draft-eligible quarterbacks or free agents.

​"You guys will see him today. Watch him throw. I think he's improved," Kelly said of Tebow. "He's spent a lot of time in the last few years in terms of working on his game."

Tebow's name has come up as a potential weapon on two-point conversions, however Kelly doesn't expect much to change under the league's new extra-point rule, which moves kicks to the 15-yard line.

"I don't think anything's new," Kelly said, pointing out that the Eagles made 43-of-45 kicks from that distance over the past two seasons. "They didn't entice you to go for two more, at least in my opinion."

Tebow is smart enough to know he'll face challenges on the field during the offseason, but the signal caller is trying to embrace everything.

"I think you appreciate it more now. I appreciate every opportunity that I get, every day of being able to come out here - no matter how hot it is, no matter how much you've been running, no matter how the workout was. You embrace it. You embrace that grind even more. You find joy in it, especially the hard stuff."

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