Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Tim Tebow received a standing ovation from fans Sunday as he took the field for the first time in his return to the NFL.
Tebow entered the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lincoln Financial Field with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Tebow threw for 69 yards on 6-of-12 passing and ran for a 7-yard touchdown in his first game in two years as the Eagles beat the Colts 36-10. He carried the ball four times for 15 yards.
“It was fun,” Tebow said after the game. “Playing ball. I loved it. You want to be focused on footwork, reads, communication with everybody but also enjoy the moment. You won’t always have it.”
Tebow was sacked twice on third down to end two fourth-quarter possessions, but Eagles coach Chip Kelly pointed out that some problems were a result of playing with third-team offensive linemen and wide receivers.
“You have to look at who’s in with who,” Kelly said. “A different set of receivers was in when Tim was in, and a different line at times. A couple of those, you’re wondering, ‘why is he doing that?’ Well, the receiver ran the wrong route. There were a couple of busts out there.”
The former Heisman Trophy winner was the third Eagles quarterback to play in the game, following Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley.
Starting quarterback Sam Bradford, who was obtained in a trade with the St. Louis Rams in the offseason, did not play Sunday. Bradford is recovering from a torn left ACL, but he is expected to play Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens in the second preseason game.
Since last appearing in a regular-season game for the New York Jets in 2012, Tebow joined ESPN as an analyst for the SEC Network in 2014, where he primarily worked on “SEC Nation.”
The New England Patriots were the last team to give Tebow an opportunity. He was in their training camp in 2013 and played in a preseason game against the Eagles, but was released before the season.
Tebow, who turned 28 on Friday, signed with the Eagles as a free agent in April after not playing last season.
Originally a first-round draft choice (25th overall) of the Denver Broncos in 2010, the 6-foot-3, 236-pound Tebow appeared in 35 NFL games with 16 starts. Tebow started three games for the Broncos as a rookie in 2010, throwing for 654 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 227 yards and six touchdowns on 43 carries.
In 2011, Tebow tied for second among NFL quarterbacks with six game-winning drives and helped guide the Broncos to an AFC West title and the team’s first playoff berth since 2005, including a postseason win. Tebow started the team’s final 11 games, totaling 1,730 passing yards and 12 touchdowns through the air, adding 660 rushing yards and six scores.
Following the 2011 season, Tebow was traded to the Jets and saw action in 11 games with two starts, completing 6 of 8 passes for 39 yards and rushing 32 times for 102 yards, serving as Sanchez’s backup.