The Philadelphia Eagles‘ quarterback situation has long been a big topic for the media. Jalen Hurts has been to two Super Bowls and won one in 2024 â Super Bowl LIX.
Yet the inconsistencies of the passing game in recent years â highlighted by poorly-hidden feuds with All-Pro wideout A.J. Brown, who was traded to the New England Patriots on June 1 â have meant that Hurts is subject to far greater criticism than other franchise quarterbacks in his position.
However, on June 10 there was news pertaining to the quarterback situation that did not concern Hurts at all. Instead, it focused on the backup QB position. In 2025, after an excellent performance in the final game of the 2024 regular season, 2023 sixth round pick Tanner McKee was handed the keys to the QB2 role.
But in the same game in 2025, McKee did not play nearly as well. Against the worst-ranked defense in the NFL, the 26-year old went 21-40 for 241 yards, with 1 touchdown and interception apiece.
And as a result, it seems that McKee’s spot as the primary backup quarterback is in jeopardy, with head coach Nick Sirianni announcing on Wednesday that there would be an open competition between him and veteran Andy Dalton.
“Nick Sirianni said that the #Eagles are rotating at the backup QB spot between Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton. Heâs not ready to declare a backup.” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported. “McKee was the unquestioned No. 2 last season.”
Tanner Mckee’s Long Term Future With the Eagles in Doubt
The writing was already starting to form when the Eagles traded for Dalton back in March. Dalton is not seen by many as anything less than a solid backup quarterback, so the idea that he was being bought in to be the set-in-stone QB3 was tenuous at best.
And perhaps more importantly McKee’s contract status and performance mean that, unfortunately, it does not currently seem like the franchise view him as a long term player with the franchise.
The Stanford alum has one year left on his rookie contract, and the Eagles drafted the highly-rated Cole Palmer out of North Dakota State this past April in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. It is likely that it is him they have in mind as their backup QB in 2027 and beyond, not McKee.
But for the current season, the job is still very much in play for both Dalton and McKee â and if he absolutely shows out in training camp, potentially even Palmer, even if that is an unlikely course of events.
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