I don’t think he is that man, but I do think he does several things for the Patriots:
1.) They have a talented athlete who may be at a point where he will try nearly anything to salvage his career. “Coach, you want a fullback? I’ll do it. You want me to try tight end? Give me the play book. You want to try a wildcat? I’m game. You want me to run back punts? I’m there. You want a guy to work with the third string receivers? I’m that man.” I think that is where he is.
2.) He is a character guy, apparently. If the coach tells him to contribute in any way, he will do it. He knows he isn’t replacing Tom Brady.
3.) If Brady is hurt, he could be a semi-competent replacement in the short term, someone who has played a few downs in the NFL. If Brady got hurt or was unavailable, and Mallet fell on his face, they could turn to Tebow and say: “Give it a shot. Show us what you can do.”
"...someone who has played a few downs in the NFL"
Seriously? A few downs?
Are you aware how many games he started and played with the Broncos in his two years there?
Particularly in helping the Broncos in 2011?
He became the team's full-time starting quarterback beginning in the sixth game. The Broncos were 1–4 in the first five games without him as the starter. They then won four straight games, and then lost three straight. All in all, he started 11 games that year, going 7-4. They made the playoffs and with Tebow starting won their first AFC West title and first playoff game since 2005, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime that year. The next week, the Patriots knocked them off.
So, he started 11 games in 2011. When you add that to his rookie season, when he started three games, he started 14 games in his first two years as a pro. That's pretty good, and I would hardly call it, "taking a few snaps."