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Report: Count on Patriots keeping Tim Tebow

The Patriots signed Tim Tebow to a two-year contract with no guaranteed money. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The Patriots signed Tim Tebow to a two-year contract with no guaranteed money. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Tim Tebow's future in the NFL has been questioned and seemingly in doubt since the Broncos drafted him with a 2010 first-round pick. But Ben Volin of the Boston Globewrites Tebow's future with the Patriots should not be in doubt -- at least for the 2013 season.

Despite the Patriots' history of keeping just two quarterbacks and NFL rules discouraging teams from keeping a high-profile third quarterback, Tebow is not battling for a roster sport. Volin writes Tebow will be on the Patriots roster when the season begins in September.

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Volin makes his argument for why the Patriots will stick with Tebow:

He wasn't signed to just be a "camp arm."

If the Patriots were interested only in having a “camp arm” as their third quarterback, they couldn’t have made a worse choice than Tebow, whose biggest weakness is his pocket passing . . . The Patriots know what Tebow brings to the table — offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels drafted him and spent a year with him in Denver, after all — and they know better than anyone that Tebow is a long-term project.

Why bother signing him if you’re only going to give him a month to prove himself? Instead, he likely will get an entire year.

The Patriots see Tebow as a quarterback, but he offers some versatility while he evolves.

Let’s be clear — the Patriots plan on developing him at quarterback. He has only spent time in the quarterback meeting room, and 99 percent of his time has been spent working on his skills at the position.

But there’s no question he brings more to the table than a traditional backup.

Yes, he can line up at fullback or tight end in a pinch, and his presence on the roster will give opposing defensive coordinators something to think about in terms of the trick plays Belichick might be concocting. Monday night, he worked as the punt protector three times, and he can be a secret weapon on fake punts.

Additionally, Tebow’s mobility could be useful during the season when helping the Patriots prepare to defend the read-option, which is all the rage now in the NFL.

The Patriots need more guys like Tebow in the locker room.

Lord knows they need more high-character guys these days. Aaron Hernandez hasn’t been the only bad seed to come through the locker room the last few years, of course.

When it comes to representing the organization, no one does it better than Tebow. He spends 30-45 minutes signing autographs and taking pictures after most practices, long after the other players have escaped to the locker room.

The next time Tebow is caught up in a genuine off-field controversy will be the first. He has a knack for always saying and doing the right thing, and capping it off with an All-American, “God bless.”

Tebow is also insanely competitive and refuses to be outworked.

Volin adds that even if Tebow turns out to be an utter failure in the preseason, the Patriots can cut him before the season opener with no penalty because his two-year, minimum salary deal doesn’t include guaranteed money. Tebow also could wind up on the Patriots' inactive list most weeks, if not all 16 games, but he will stick with the team.

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